


breaths caught intertwined

by JenLi



Series: Selection OC 6 [16]
Category: Selection OC
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:00:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 31,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26694127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenLi/pseuds/JenLi
Summary: Challenge 6 Side RP - The Attic
Relationships: Jen Li/Arin Schreave
Series: Selection OC 6 [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1742209
Kudos: 1





	breaths caught intertwined

**Author's Note:**

> The title is NSFC or, Not Safe For Covid. Heed with caution. I've had this baby for a long time. She deserves better, honestly.
> 
> You can really tell when Anna and I fought so hard for this not to happen and then said fuck it they're doing it. We weren't strong enough. Goodbye Sex and the City. Hello Sex in the OC. 
> 
> There was something else I wanted to mention, but I can't remember. Oh, yeah, Anna and I Sarah J. Maased it and put Arin tea in the middle of everything. Completely unintentional.
> 
> TW: Ian mentions  
> CW: Implied sexual content, nudity, and two creators making dumbass comments. (You'll know one when you see one.)
> 
> P.S. This started at 69 pages and ended at 71. Sorry I couldn't cut it down.

*He'd get a text the first time on the 29th. She needed some time to process before she took the first step.

Text: I know I'm late, but I heard what happened, and I'm really sorry. Let me know if you need anything.*

*The 30th.

Text: Try to sleep sometime*

*The 1st.

Text: Crying is a good stress reliever*

*The 2nd.

Text: I made cookies the other day and was told by an unbiased party they were good, so I hope you know you can't call me a bad baker anymore*

👍

🤷🏻

*The 3rd.

Text: I watched the documentary you sent me again and took notes. Is my new fear irrational or justified*

*The 4th.

Text: Can I give you something?

Another text: It doesn't have to be right now if you're busy. Just let me know.*

Do what you want.

*Text: Is that a yes?*

I don’t care.

*Text: Where*

My office.

*She was already nervous about asking, and he doesn't help her nerves, but she figures he's just extra testy lately, which she understands. It would be in the evening sometime, probably after 10pm, and she’s just gotten out of the shower and is now just busy doing stuff around her room to take her mind off things or at least try to. Music’s always playing now because it’s the only thing that can even partly numb the noises. 

She’s more jumpy now than she usually is, even if it’s been over a week since the Great Hall. Even a door slamming is enough to make her jump out of her skin, and she wakes up more than once every night. And to think, she got out of there in the best shape out of everyone.

Aside from Missy, most of the other girls were harmed in worse ways. Evalin had been shot in the spleen. Idalia and Leana beaten up. Princess Mélanie shot in the neck. The Queen—Well, there is no Queen anymore. Illéa has a King.

That word will take some getting used to. She can’t recall ever using the word “King” to refer to anyone in her life, especially not Arin. Prince Arin, she’d referred to him at first, and then just Arin. She has no doubt he’s struggling with it too.

She pauses when she gets the text back and frowns down at it for longer than she should, but eventually, she swallows her nerves and forces herself to grab her sketchbook before heading out.

She asks a guard where the hell his office is since he’s being an asshole, and she genuinely has never been there because she really has no interest in going in any office ever again, but if this is what things have to be, then she’ll have to deal with that. She pushes any thought of Ian away as she approaches the door. Offices are fine. Offices don’t assault people, and not offices with Arin either. She knocks on the door, shifting on her feet nervously as she holds her sketchbook to her chest*

*arin is just so done and sick of all the checking in so he doesn’t bother to answer- but also he can’t hear her from where he’s laying on his sofa*

*She definitely waits for a while. When it becomes uncomfortably long, her heart rate increases, but she knocks again, a little louder in case he hadn't heard her*

*he doesn’t reply again🤡*

*She vaguely wonders if she's at the wrong door, but she knows she's not. There's also the possibility that he just left, but she knocks one more time for good measure*

*crickets*

*When there's nothing again, she blows out a breath and takes a step back, not knowing if he's just ignoring her or not in there at all. She has a gut feeling, though, and knocks one more time*

*no soup for you*

*Text: If you didn't want to see me, you could've said something instead of ignoring me, but alright.*

*silence*

*After a minute of nothing, she considers what to do before looking down at what she drew and tearing it off the page. Without another word, she shoves the page under his door and turns around and leaves*

*Text (couple hours later): I fell asleep.*

*Text: Sure you did.*

*Text: I did.*

*Text: Glad you slept.*

*Text: Sure you are.*

*Text: I am, actually. Believe it or not.*

*Text: Perhaps.*

*Text: Doesn't matter to me.*

*Text: Great.*

*Text: Was it adequate at least*

*Text: Sure.*

*Text: Very believable.*

*Text: Attic.*

*She stares at that message for a while, not really sure how she should interpret the message even though she has a feeling she knows. They’d been up there twice now, and it had become some sort of a sanctuary. A place made just for them, like no one can disturb them once they shut that door. It’s a nice thought, though not a realistic one. 

After a few minutes, she finally stops the other drawing she’s been working on and heads out again. She assumes he’s already there, so she goes up to meet him, opening the door very carefully because she really doesn’t know what she’s walking into here. _At least it’s not an office._ *

*He’s sitting on the couch in the attic, holding the drawing as he stares at it. When she comes up the stairs he doesn’t look up from the paper- not really having been paying attention. Off to the side of the room where the paint wall is Arin’s painting has been covered in a dark red paint*

*Her eyes settle on him first. _King Arin,_ it says, but she shakes the thought away. Just Arin. Her eyes also go to the wall out of habit, just to make sure it’s still in tact, and she stops in her tracks when she sees his side of the wall, just staring in shock. It takes a moment to calm herself and look over at him* That's a pity. *She takes a step onto the tarp and looks back at the wall*

*he looks up at her and narrows his eyes as he observes her. Then in a flat tone he says* I didn’t want it anymore.

*She considers his wall for another moment before brushing a hand over hers just to touch it. She looks back at him* That's okay. Red has its place too.

*he looks down at the drawing and simply says* It’s blood.

*She glances back to the wall and presses her lips together. She had assumed as much. He didn’t need to spell it out for her* Fitting.

*he doesn’t look up or say anything, he only keeps staring at the drawing*

*She's still staring at the wall* Did it make you feel better?

What do you think? *he doesn’t look at her still*

*She shifts and leans back against her side of the wall, shrugging her shoulders a bit* I don't know what's going through your head.

That’s for the best. *he focuses on the blending of the sea star*

*She nods because she knows how that goes. Her eyes settle on the drawing he's staring at and decides it’s best to change the subject for now* I don't draw many sea stars. Hope it's accurate.

It’s red. *he says, still in a flat and disinterested tone- not because he doesn’t care but because he’s in shut down mode*

*She gives a small nod, then a little quieter* Finished it a while ago. It's been a long time since I've drawn, so hopefully... *She pauses, not going to finish that sentence* Yeah. Just something to look at, I guess. *Her eyes go down to the floor, too aware of the topics they're avoiding. So many of them*

*he looks up at her with a frown and states* I have a lot of things to look at.

*She keeps her eyes on the floor and shrugs* Just another then.

*he just watches her for a long moment, narrowing his eyes just thinking™️*

*She doesn't speak either, even though she wants to. Too many dangerous topics. She stays silent*

You can’t even look at me anymore. *he frowns more*

*She does look up then* I didn't think you wanted me to.

*he narrows his eyes at her again* You didn’t ask. *he tilts his head to the side* In fact you haven’t really asked me anything.

I don't really know what I should ask. *Her fingers are still brushing against the wall as a way to keep her grounded* I figured you wouldn't want me to anyway.

You’re the only person who hasn’t asked me. *he just keeps watching her*

That's why I didn't. *She gives a half-smile, but there's nothing real in it* I'd think the same questions are a little exhausting, and... I feel like I'd know the answers anyway.

*he frowns at that* So you’re saying I’m predictable?

*She frowns as well* No.

*he sighs and leans back against the cushions of the couch, still just watching her*

I'm not really sure what to do anymore. *Her voice lowers* I just wanted you to know I'm here for you. I'm sure you hear that a lot lately, but... I am. If you ever need me. *She hopes the texts made it clear, at least. She never is someone people go to for grief. She doesn’t know how to handle it, but she figures if there’s too many shoulders to cry on, she might as well just show him that she’s there some other way.

So that’s it then? *he raises his eyebrows at her*

*She glances down at the floor and then back up again* Should it not have been?

I guess I just didn’t know what to expect. *he frowns, thinking it over*

I've been trying to think the last few days of things to say, but I've come up blank. There's not exactly much I can do. If there is, tell me.

*he shakes his head* You know it won’t get easier? This is the rest of my life.

*Her fingers tap again the wall as she considers* It won't, but it'll feel... less like drowning.

I was drowning before. Now I’ve sunk. *he looks down at his hands which are somewhat shaky*

*She looses a breath, trying to imagine how he's feeling and only partly able to succeed* The universe fucking sucks sometimes.

*he tiredly sighs and closes his eyes* I had just started to feel like maybe everything wasn’t so shitty.

It just is, I guess. *She lets her head fall back into the wall with a thud as she stares up at the ceiling, though it isn’t much of one.* Everything looking clear, and then it's just murky again. Lying awake at night and wondering what the hell even happened.

I- I was happy I think. *he bites at the inside of his lip*

*Her eyes go to him then because she's surprised to hear that.* Were you?

*he opens his eyes to look at her* I think I was.

*She nods once because she almost agrees* You should try and get there again. You deserve it.

*he remains silent, reaching out to sit the drawing next to him and pick up a pillow so he has something to at least pretend can comfort him*

*Her eyes follow the action before settling on the couch and then where she's standing. /Too far./ but she doesn't know what's okay* Can I sit next to you?

*he pulls the pillow to his stomach and begins fiddling with the edges but he gives her a little nod*

*At the nod, she walks over and takes a seat next to him. Far enough away to not touch but close enough to where it's not awkward. She doesn't quite stare at him, just down at her lap* Are you going to send us home? *((Great job Jen you got your wish))*

*he grips the pillow more tightly* I hadn’t thought about that. I just.... the funeral is next week and I hadn’t thought that far out.

*She nods and crosses her legs, but this time she looks at him* I'm sorry. Whatever you need to do, it's okay.

*he looks down at the pillow but doesn’t say anything*

*When he doesn't answer, she shifts a little closer* Are you scared?

*he slowly nods but doesn’t say anything*

*Her eyes go back down to her lap and a little quieter she says* Me too.

*he pulls the pillow tighter to his chest and looks ahead at the wall and tenses*

*At his silence, she murmurs* You're going to do a good job.

*he looks over at her in utter confusion and he swallows hard. Then softly breathes* What?

*She looks over at him in confusion as to why he seems so surprised* What? You will.

You- just... you’ve never said that before and I guess you’re the last person I expected to tell me that. *he frowns because she feels bad for saying it*

*She turns to him more then, eyebrows furrowed as she thinks about what he's talking about but can't remember* Why?

*we’re gonna pretend he remembers* You said you wouldn’t trust me with your life or the country.... *he looks down at the pillow again*

*She pauses at that because suddenly it clicks in her head. The library. Their fight. Everything. That had been the first real time she’d opened up to him about Ian to him, the first time she’d admitted those fateful words out loud. Her eyes go to his pillow, not really sure what to say to that because it was true she'd said that, but she also hadn't thought much about it since that evening. She turns to him fully now and looks up at him, even if he won't look at her* Can I touch you?

*he keeps his eyes on the pillow but he gives her a small nod, wrapping his arms more fully around the pillow because being touched is still hard for him*

*With his consent, she scoots closer until their legs are touching on the couch, and she gently rests her hand on one of the arms around the pillow, thinking about what there was to say. She’d completely forgotten * It shouldn't have happened this way. You're going to make mistakes, but I know you a lot better now than I did then. *She gives him a small squeeze* You're going to be a good king, even if it doesn't feel like it right now. *A little quieter, she adds* And I didn't feel like I could trust anyone then, but I do now. *Arin had become one of those people so easily somehow, a person she trusts with so much. It had taken time still, but compared to the death sentence she’d given herself, it’s a lot even so.

*he sucks in a breath when she touches him but then he swallows, trying to stay calm. He sits there silently as she speaks then he shifts his body so he’s facing her and he can hug her fully. Then after a moment he pulls back and grips the pillow again* I’m sorry. I should have asked.

*She's caught a little off guard when he hugs her because she hadn't expected that. When he pulls away and apologizes, she gives him a small smile and sets her hand back on his arm, squeezing her reassurance. Even after all this time, he was asking, and even if she didn’t need it, she still was grateful for that. He’s always cared so much.* You don't have to ask. Whatever you need.

I should ask. It’s about what you need too. *he swallows and looks down at his arm where she’s touching him- but not because it’s bad*

*She smiles just a bit wider at that* I need whatever will make you feel better right now. Even if it's just a little.

I... I don’t know what I want. *he admits, with some embarrassment, not taking his eyes off her hand* But this seems like an okay place to start.

It's okay. *She shifts her hand up from his arm to his shoulder* Take your time to figure things out. However long you need. I'm just... *She trails off, eyes going to the pillow*

*he reaches up with the hand opposite and puts his hand over hers. He looks up at her and murmurs* You what?

*She looks back up at him, eyes a lot more sad* I'm glad you're here.

*he just watches her a long moment because part of him still wishes he weren't so he just says* I wish I could be glad too.

*She considers for a moment because even if she doesn't like it, she understands. After a moment of consideration, she leans forward, raising herself up to hug him like he'd hugged her. After a moment, she speaks* Try to pretend.

*He tenses for a moment before he hugs her back, closing his eyes. He pulls her closer to him* I am. 

*She presses her face into his neck, grip tightening on him when he pulls her closer* Thank you. I...

What is it? *he murmurs, keeping his arms around her, just trying to keep her there as long as he can.*

Nothing. *She brings her hand up to brush over the back of his hair* Just keep trying. You'd be surprised by how much you can convince yourself.

Do you still have to convince yourself? *he keeps his eyes closed, just trying to pretend everything is okay*

*Murmurs* Sometimes. Over different things. Some days are better than others. They blend together now.

*He gently rests his head against hers* And what about today?

*She squeezes him, shifting closer* I missed you. * _And every day before that._ *

Even after everything I said that night? *he swallows hard*

*That makes her pause as she thinks about what he'd said, but even thinking about it, it all just seemed insignificant* We were both in bad places, but you... *She lets out a shaky breath as she feels tears coming on* I'm so sorry.

*he half let’s go of her and leans back so he can see her* I shouldn’t have said what I said. I should have just left you alone. *he furrows his eyebrows in concern at the tears*

*She lets go of him with one hand and brings it to wipe the tears from her eyes, but it returns to his neck* You didn't say anything wrong. Everything was just terrible, especially for you.

*he shakes his head* It wasn't an excuse. 

*She moves her hand from his neck to his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb* Stop worrying about that. *Her voice is soft* Look at me. You didn't hurt me.

*his eyes meet hers* You promise? 

*She cracks a smile and nods, leaning forward to press a kiss to his cheek gently before pulling back just a bit to murmur* Promise. *She barely remembers what he’d said that night aside from the possible suicidal thoughts, and those had stayed with her, but they didn’t hurt her in the way he meant*

*his breath catches and he closes his eyes before murmuring* Can you promise me again?

*She watches him for a moment to see how he's doing, and when he asks, the corner of her mouth quirks and she leans in to kiss the other cheek* Promise. *She leans forward and presses a kiss to his forehead* Promise. *She acts like she's going to kiss his lips but stops because she doesn't know if it's okay, continuing to stroke his cheek. She closes her eyes, content with just holding him for now*

*when she stops he waits for a moment before he decides to take the risk and not ask for the first time (maybe). He leans forward and gently presses his lips to her- slightly missing the mark*

*Her breath catches for a moment at the action because she wasn't expecting it, and she opens her eyes out of slight shock. After a moment, she closes her eyes again and leans in to kiss him on the mark ever so softly before pulling away enough to murmur the words he was wanting because nothing else will sound right* Promise.

*he opens his eyes to look at her then whispers a bit nervously* I didn't ask.

*She opens her eyes and smiles again, always fond of the asking* It's okay. *She leans in again to kiss him very softly before pulling away* I trust you, remember?

I couldn't do anything when you needed me to most. *he bites at his lip again, thinking about what happened in the great hall. also ian*

*She furrows her eyebrows as she thinks about what he means, but either way it doesn't matter* It's not your fault.

*he closes his eyes and the images flash through his mind. He takes a deep breath, trying to stay calm because of what he remembers and the guilt he feels for it. then he grimaces a little, and asks in a whisper* Did you mean it?

*She doesn't know what he means for a moment, but then it just suddenly clicks, and her heart rate picks up. She didn’t actually expect him to bring it up, and now that he has… it just feels even more real* Seems like a waste to lie on your deathbed, doesn't it?

You didn't just say it to make me feel better? *he opens his eyes again and searches her eyes for any hint that she's not telling the truth*

*She shakes her head immediately, staring at him with concern on her face, but she keeps stroking his cheek, both for him and for her* No. I meant it.

*he takes a deep breath and nods* Okay.

*She just keeps watching him, still concerned* Is that okay?

*he sighs then pulls back a bit, sure he's about to hurt her* Is it okay if I don't know? And if I can't say that back?

*She gives the slightest smile and gives him the slightest squeeze of reassurance* Of course it is. You can forget it ever happened if you want. You have other things to focus on right now.

*he gives a soft smile then leans in to kiss her cheek. When he pulls away he looks at her a long moment* Thank you.

*She keeps holding him, just studying his features for the moment. So many things she wants to memorize now, so many things she would miss if he’d been taken from her. Brown eyes and soft lips, that smile that hit her in the chest every time it came out. Their height difference. How his arms feel around her. Safe. He’s always been safe. He’d helped her feel that way again, especially in this place that’s their own. Attic. One word, she always knew where.*

Penny for your thoughts? *he gives her a worried look*

*She averts her eyes, not having realized she'd been staring in a way that was concerning, but she looks back at him* Just thinking about how I would've missed this.

*he reaches up and puts a hand on her cheek to turn her head more towards him then he says* The talking?

*She gives a small shrug* All of it. The talking, you, the attic. *She glances back to their wall for a second before returning her gaze to his* I like this room the most.

*he watches the way she looks around then swallows and says* It feels safe.

*She nods, glancing over again, and she fondly smiles* Good memories here. Especially the wall. *She looks back over, and it's a reference to painting but also,,,, that very strange night they’d gone from making out on the wall to fighting to her bedroom*

*he looks down and says in a terrible attempt at a joke (because he be remembering the wall)* Maybe it’s for the best that we’re over here on the couch.

*She huffs a laugh* From what I can recall, our track record with couches isn't the best either. *The library’s was no longer safe, but at least back then they had more restraint than they do now*

*he bites at his lip for a moment then saws quietly* I don’t recall. *trying to just enjoy a moment of feeling like everything is the way it was*

*She tilts her head because they're back on their bullshit, but it's a nice distraction from the heaviness* Really? Because I remember very well.

*he looks up at her and shakes his head then decides to take the shitty joke further* I was hit in the head, remember?

*She smiles as she looks at him, her heart rate picking up in that familiar way it did when they did this. She pulls her bottom lip into her mouth and lets go of him* Maybe I should remind you.

You could. I don’t remember what I should be remembering. *he lets out a sigh*

*Back on their bullshit indeed, she raises her eyebrows* Sit up straight.

*he blinks in surprise* Yes ma’am. *he sits up straight like she said and looks at her expectantly*

*She can't help her breath catch at YES MA'AM ((WTF)), but she immediately does as she planned and straddles him, pressing him into the back of the couch and settling into his lap with a smile* I believe it was similar to this, except... *She reaches down and grabs both of his hands, placing them on each of her thighs* Those went there. *Her hands go to his neck, stroking the skin as she tilts her head to gauge his reaction*

*he is in complete shock at how quickly she gets on top of him, breathing a bit fast from the surprise and because of what she’s doing but also because that’s a lot of physical contact after the great hall.... he very GENTLY squeezes one of her thighs just to let her know he’s okay but needs a second before he swallows and says* I don’t think all of it came back.

*The fingers on his neck don't stop moving as he takes his moment to think, but otherwise she doesn't move, just waiting to make sure he's okay. When he speaks, she smiles and leans in closer toward his lips but doesn't quite kiss him* Really? What do you think I should do about that?

*he keeps his hands on her thighs as he leans up and kisses her, not bothering to answer. The kiss is still cautious but less gentle and soft than before. One of his hands squeezes her thigh again before he reaches up and puts one hand on the side of her face but far enough back that his fingers are in her hair*

*She kisses him back, wanting more but not going for it because she wants to keep this within his comfort zone because, really, she just misses him. She misses when everything was just normal, and she could kiss him like everything was okay because it was. When he removes his hand from her thigh and moves it to her face, she pulls away and moves to kiss his neck before pulling away just slightly* When you did that, you almost dropped me.

*he tips his head back when she kisses his neck because let me tell you he is VERY distracted. He looks at her when she pulls away and he tries to take a steadying breath* I can’t drop you now.

*She smiles and goes back in to kiss his neck, her hands going to the collar of his shirt but not yet daring to do anything else*

*he lets her keep kissing him, while all the issues they’re facing begin to feel smaller. Arin lowers his hand to her back, trying to pull her closer*

*She presses closer like he wants but leaves enough space to unbutton his shirt all the way down, but she doesn't try to pull it off yet and instead returns to kissing his lips for a few moments before barely pulling away* Always so quiet. *She leans in to kiss him again*

*he pulls back as well as he can and looks up at her then breathes* It’s really hard to say anything or form clear thoughts when you’re doing things like that. *he looks down at his unbuttoned shirt then back up to her. He reaches up and tugs at the drawstrings of her hoodie, pulling her a little closer*

*She stares down at him with a smile, her breathing heavy* Didn't say it had to be words. *Seeing he's okay, she pulls the shirt away enough to set her hands on his bare sides all while keeping her eyes on his*

*he shudders at the feeling- but in a good way* What exactly are you hoping for?

*She leans in to brush her lips over his ear as her hands trail up his sides* Whatever you want. *Though she definitely has a few things in mind if he’s needs the suggestions*

*he reaches his hands up to her waist and lets out a groan when her lips brush his ears then he pulls his head away again to look at her* Whatever?

*Her grip on him tightens when he groans because that was exactly what she was wanting. She hums into his ear* Whatever.

*he presses a kiss to her cheek, then to the tip of her nose, then to the other cheek before he stops to look at her before he leans in to kiss hers. It’s gentle at first then he leans in more while also trying to sit up to be closer and he deepens the kiss, with his hands tightening on her waist*

*She smiles very fondly when he does the Arin Thing, and she kisses him back gently, but when he deepens the kiss, she moans and moves her hands to pull off his shirt from his shoulder, sliding it down as far as she can before it's stuck on his elbows*

*he lets go of her to push up a little so he can pull his shirt off, not bothering to fold it this time, too distracted by her. He leans in to kiss her again. His hands go to her waist again, before he lowers his hands so he can slip them both beneath her sweatshirt to place them on her lower back*

*When his hands go under her hoodie, she immediately pulls away and pulls it off, but she's wearing a bra and everything is fine, even if in hindsight, she would’ve put on a nicer one. She takes a second to breathe before she leans in to kiss him again, her hands going to his hair*

*he sucks in a breath when she pulls off her hoodie but doesn’t have time to react much more before she kisses him. He lets out another groan and his hands return to her back. One slowly creeps upwards so it’s beneath the band of her bra. Then he pulls away so he can go to kiss her neck*

*after a few kisses he murmurs something against her skin*

*She closes her eyes and moans again when he kisses her neck, pressing her chest to his. When he murmurs, she brushes a hand over his hair* What was that?

*he pulls back and says through heavy breaths* The last time we did this your sister caught us.

*She huffs a laugh, breathing heavily* Trust me, she hasn't let me forget. *If Sara is anything, it’s persistent, and as if bringing it up to her family wasn’t enough, messages about it continued. She really needs to learn how to lock doors.*

I don’t want to let you forget either. *he leans back in to kiss her neck, still keeping his hands in the same place so he can keep her close*

*She smiles as he kisses her neck, stroking his hair* I think the memories are escaping me.

*he pulls back to look at her* I don’t think we can let that happen.

*She meets his gaze and raises her eyebrows* What are you gonna do about it?

*he leans up to kiss her again, this time more fervently. His hand that was on her lower back travels up so both hands are beneath the back band of her bra*

*When both hands goes to the back of her bra, she shifts her hips just enough to be able to move her hands to his belt, but they don't quite move to undo it yet*

*he momentarily breaks the kiss to let out something between a gasp and a moan- while I scream in the background- when she moves her hands to his belt, but despite the small break he kisses her with a bit more urgency*

*Uhhhhh with that wonderfully dangerous reaction, she undoes his belt, fumbling while she kisses him back, but she does get it and starts to remove it from his hips, though it doesn't come immediately with the position he's in, and she can feel herself getting impatient*

*he lowers his hands and tries to lift her a bit, then he breaks the kiss, holding her with one hand while he pulls at his pants with the other. It’s a bit of a struggle but they eventually slip down to his ankles and he kicks them off to the side, leaving him in his boxers, before he goes back to kissing her. His hands return to either of her thighs*

*She's gasping for breath when he pulls away to take off his pants, just watching him with flushed cheeks as he does so. When he returns, she kisses him back fervently, and after a moment, she shifts off of him to the side and slides her drawing off the cushion to gingerly set it on the floor before pulling him toward her as she shifts to lie down on the couch. She’s thought seriously about sex with Arin before, but never like this. It all seemed like a further out idea, like something she would have to wait for like she told him, but if the Great Hall proved anything, it was that sometimes waiting isn’t what needs to happen. Life is shorter than she realized*

*he places his hands on either side of her and just watches her for a long moment while they both breathe heavily. Then he lowers down so his forearms are resting in the couch and kisses her neck while he settles between her legs*

*She shifts a little to get comfortable in the position and ultimately brings her legs up to press against his hips, closing her eyes as she moans from his lips on her neck. One hand goes to his hair, and the other stays pressed into his back firmly to keep him close*

*he kisses her neck a little longer, as he lets her keep him close, then his mouth is back on hers while one hand goes up to the side of her face. He deepens the kiss, and it becomes more ardent*

*She shifts a little, not breaking their kiss, but her hands go to her shorts, shifting them off from under her, but they wouldn't get far before he would have to move to take them off*

*Realizing what she’s trying to do he pulls away from her and breathlessly just watches her for a moment before he goes to kneel and he scoots back a decent distance. Then he swallows and reaches down to the shorts so he can pull them off for her. Then- with his heart pounding like crazy he folds the shorts and drops them off the side of the couch, never taking his eyes from her*

*She watches him with heavy breaths as she removes her short, definitely liking the sight more than a little. After a moment of just lying there, she taps him with her foot and smiles* Just going to leave me here like this?

*he glances her foot then looks back to her with a little smirk* I wasn’t going to but now I don’t know. *he looks her over and his breath catches- but he does inch closer so he’s almost nearly where he was before he took her shorts off. But he stays kneeling*

*She smirks because they really do love their games and props herself up on her elbows to look at him* What should I do to get you to come back? *She keeps her eyes on him, but with one hand she reaches over to her opposite shoulder and pulls off one of the straps of her bra*

*he just watches her in awe for a moment because he’s always finding things to be surprised about with her. He inches closer but doesn’t touch her as he tries to play it off* I’m open to ideas. *he says in a lower voice*

*She lies back down and smirks up at him with a devious glint in her eyes. She pulls off the other strap and shifts a little against the couch as she stares up at him* This isn't working for you?

*he tilts his head as he pretends to think then he nods slowly and says* I might be able to be convinced. *he leans back down again and presses a kiss to her cheek then pulls back just enough to have his eyes meet hers* How’s that?

*Her smirk turns into a smile when he kisses her cheek, and she reaches up to loop her arms around his neck before leaning up to kiss his cheek as well* Pretty good. I'd say keep trying.

*he nods then kisses her gently, taking his sweet time as he enjoys the nice and quiet moment sans Sara. He reaches a hand down and tugs at one of the straps just because, but he doesn’t make any move to take it off being that*

*She doesn't escalate anything, just kisses him as gently as he is to her because she really did miss this and likes seeing him at least a little back to his normal self after everything he'd been through. She giggles when he tugs on the strap but doesn't otherwise do anything, just keeps holding him to her*

*he deeps the kiss for a few moments, reaching up to cup her cheek then he pulls away again just to look at her. His face is flushed and his breathing is still heavy. He murmurs (still in a low voice)* Bee.

*She smiles up at him and reaches to brush a hand over his hair* You're so good.

*he raises his eyebrows and reaches one hand up to brush his fingers across her lips* Only good?

*She hums, stilling smiling against the touch of his fingers on her lips* A solid six out of ten.

*he leans back in and whispers into her ear* Tell me what I can do to get to ten?

*She keeps her eyes on his but takes one of his hands and shifts it to her ass* You're a smart boy. *Her other hand goes to trail down his side and just barely touches the band of his boxers* I'm sure you can figure it out.

*his breath REALLY catches when she moves his hand he shudders at her words because he really could figure it out. He says softly* Are you sure? 

*Her heart rate definitely picks up even more now because oh God they're really about to do this, but she nods, loosing a slow breath*

*he leans in again and kisses her again harder while he reaches towards one of the straps and pulls at it. Then he pulls away to look at her at the same time he realizes™ and he says in raspy breaths* We can't.

*She's breathing heavily as she looks at him and frowns a bit, thinking she might've done something. Gone too fast. Pushed him into something he didn’t actually want. So many possibilities run through her head* What's wrong?

*he takes a shuddering breath but doesn't move because moving is the last thing he wants to do* Safety first, remember? *he dares a glance over her- well aware that it won't make stopping easier *

*She's confused as to what he means for a moment, but then it clicks and her eyes widen. She hadn’t come prepared with a water bottle, let alone a condom because sex really was the last thing she was expecting from this night, especially with how their last conversation had gone in person and over text* Oh shit.

*he gives her a solemn nod and glances around the room before swallowing hard. He looks back too her with the disappointment at his own lack of preparedness evident in the look he gives her*

*She reaches up and wipes a hand over her eyes, her breathing finally calming down* Well, that's inconvenient.

*he lets out a groan as he nods his head because she's still beneath him and this is a shituation but because he's stupid he still leans down too kiss her*

*She kisses him back even though she realizes now it's not the best idea, but she keeps it innocent, just wanting to kiss him and stay in this fantasy for a little longer. After a moment, she pulls away to look at him* I'm going to have to divvy out my stash.

*he chokes out a laugh* I have competition? *he leans closer, almost challenging her to say yes*

*She laughs because the mere idea of it is preposterous. Who else here was she going to have sex with?* Of course not. Just you. *She leans up and presses her lips to his cheeks for a moment* I counted. I have nine. *Her smile turns into a smirk* That means two for my room, three for yours, four for up here.

Nine is a lot.*he kisses her cheek back, then the other, then her lips again*

*She lies back, smiling as he kisses her until he kisses her lips. She indulges him for a moment before pulling away* You'd think, but it's been a while. *She kisses him again, letting him decide what that means*

*he pulls away and breathes* Not nearly enough then. *he kisses her again, this time deepening the kiss*

*At this she kisses him harder and pulls him closer, immediately in too deep again as she shifts and brings her legs up to his hips again. She pulls away breathlessly with her eyes closed and says* We don't--We can just...

*his breathing becomes heavier as he realizes maybe he was wrong and they aren't able to stop the way they thought they could. He watches the way she closes her eyes and gasps out* What?

*She leans up to kiss him again, just for a few moments before pulling away* Nevermind. Bad idea. Horrible, actually.

Some of you most horrible ideas seem to be the best. *he leans in again not ready for the moment with her to end*

*She pulls away just enough to speak* Not this one. *She goes back in to kiss him again*

*he wants to ask again but when she kisses him he mostly forgets about it. He rolls off of her, and tries to pull her so she’s facing him when he positions himself on his side so her back is against the couch*

*She breaks away when he positions her with her back against the couch but immediately goes back in again but gentler this time, hands trailing over his torso and hips. After a few moments, she pulls away to kiss his neck* You're hot.

*he groans at the feeling of her lips on his neck and moves towards her, pressing her back into the couch more. Then he says* Well, it’s barely fall. *he reaches out and puts a hand in the back of her thigh, just above where her leg bends, and pulls it towards him so her leg is resting on his hip*

*She presses closer, settling her hand on his waist and closing her eyes as she settles into the warmth of his skin. Then she mumbles* I'm cold.

*imma be lazy and say there’s a blanket draped over the back of the couch and he reaches for it and lays it over them. Then says gently* Better?

*She smiles when she feels the blanket draped over them, eyes still closed, and she continues to snuggle into his chest* Better. *After a moment, she mumbles* Missed you.

*he wraps one arm around her and pulls her and strokes at her back in a soothing way- just to be clear.* I never left.

*She nods, unconvinced, but she's not going to tell him that. Instead, she keeps stroking at his waist* I'm glad that you're here.

*he leans in and kisses her cheek and yawns softly* Right now I’m glad too. *he closes his eyes*

*That makes her grin because that's what she's been wanting to hear, but she keeps her eyes closed and just presses closer, settling into his touch. After a moment, she says* I'm tired.

*he groans and tries to settle in like he’s going to sleep because he’s tired and he feels safe next to her.* I’m tired too.

*She leans in and presses a brief, gentle kiss to his lips, lingering for as long as she can before settling in into him. _Safe,_ her mind says, and she opens her eyes just long enough to tell him* Don't fall off the couch.

*he moans and shakes his head, pulling the blanket up more then he says in a slow and beyond sleepy voice that’s barely more than a whisper* I like you.

*She pauses a little at that, just for a moment because she likes how it sounds. Then in a voice bit less sleepy than his, she says* I like you too. * _I love you,_ she doesn’t say.*

*he murmurs something as he strokes at her waist and begins to drift off- TO ACTUAL SLEEP*

*She doesn't sleep right away, just lies there holding him and really liking that she can. It doesn't take her long though to be encompassed by the warmth of his body and the sanctity of safety she hasn't felt in a while and drift off as well*

*I'll say she doesn't start stirring until the sun is already up and peaking through the window they really should start opening to vent out the paint. When she opens her eyes, she squints, not remembering immediately where she is or why she's so uncomfortable, but then she looks next to her and sees Arin sleeping and freezes, not wanting to disturb him. And she has no idea what time it is, but there's no breakfast, so there's no way she's waking him up. Instead, she lays her head back down and closes her eyes to try and sleep again, not in any rush to wake up*

*a few minutes later he begins to stir, letting out a small groan when he opens his eyes. He blinks in confusion because he slept? And feels rested? Then he sees Jen and he stills because it comes back to him. Then after a moment he pulls her closer and leans in to kiss her cheek, doing his best not to wake her*

*She hadn't gotten far in dozing off, so when he kisses her cheek, her eyes open and she gives a small, tired smile* You were sleeping.

*he pulls back and nods.* I was and so were you. *he reaches up and brushes some of the hair from her face.*

*When he reaches to brush her hair from her face, she takes his hand just to hold it, eyes going to his knuckles and the marks that would probably still be there in some way. She runs her thumbs over them and looks back up* A miracle.

*he chuckles a little at that* I’m not so sure about that. *he looks her over, just content for a moment before his face falls because he thinks about breakfast and how they’re probably late before remembering that it’s cancelled and why*

*She presses her lips to his knuckles before noticing his face and letting go to brush his thumb over his cheek* What is it?

*he closes his eyes and says softly* I just remembered everything.

*She nods once in understanding before leaning up to press a soft kiss to his lips for a few seconds. She moves the hand on his face up to brush over his hair soothingly as she closes her eyes, just wanting to hold him*

*he kisses her back, then pulls away to look at her* Thank you for being my friend.

*She smiles because she knows what he's doing* I'm a good friend, aren't I?

So good. *he says, smirking a little because he finds it amusing to use her own words*

*She smirks then and settles her hand on his hip, just brushing over the band of his boxers* The best.

*he raises his eyebrows at her the reaches up and tugs one of the bra straps down then leans closer* The greatest. *he kisses her cheek at first before kissing at her jaw*

*She makes a noise that's in between a whimper and a moan when he kisses her jaw, hand tightening at his hip and venturing lower* Arin.

*he goes lower, kissing at her neck while he reaches up and slips a hand beneath the band of her bra, pulling her closer. Then he pulls his hand back out and quickly tugs at the band so it lightly snaps against her skin*

*She moans again when he kisses her neck, but she jumps away when he snaps her bra, making a noise of surprise* Excuse me?

*he looks at her in surprise and gives her somewhat of a guilty look* I’m sorry. Did that hurt?

*She cracks a smile and leans in to kiss him for a second before pulling away* No. *She kisses him again on the lips before going to his jaw* I didn't mind.

*his sigh of relief turns into a gasp when she kisses him and because he feels safe and comfortable and ballsy as fuck because of that smile he decides to take a risk and gives her ass the lightest tap that is only borderline a slap because I am a wimp*

*She pulls away, completely surprised by the action, and looks down at him with a smile* Did you just slap my ass? 

*he bites at his lips and nods* Yes, I think I did.

*No one’s ever done that to her, and she’s never found the idea appealing until this very moment, but something about him doing it makes her decide it’s more than okay. She's still smiling when she starts shifting, pushing him down onto his back and swinging a leg over to straddle him again. She leans forward until their lips almost touch and whispers without her eyes wavering from his* Do it again.

*his eyes widen at her getting on top of him and he squirms a little because this is heating up really quickly. Then when she tells him what to do he considers a moment then murmurs* Yes ma’am. *then does exactly as she says- maybe just a fraction(!!!) harder*

*Her breath catches when he says yes ma'am, which turns into a choked moan when he slaps her again. She leans forward and starts kissing his neck with a bit rougher than necessary* You're not gonna break me.

*He groans when starts to kiss his neck and his hands go back to his waist while he tries to keep his cool. But then she says he won’t break her- not like he’d want to- and his go lower and he squeezes while he gasps* I don’t want to hurt you.

*She keeps kissing him, making muffled noises into his neck, and it takes everything in her power to not tell him to screw protection. She only pulls away enough to say* God, don't stop.

*he squeezes again then he reaches up so he can tilt her chin up towards him to kiss her. Then his hand goes back to the band of her bra and he snaps it again*

*She kisses him back until he snaps her bra and then she pulls away, narrowing her eyes in feigned annoyance* Asshole. Can't you see I'm doing something here?

*he raises his eyebrows at her, not taking his eyes off hers as he snaps the band again* And what exactly were you trying to do?

*She's breathing heavily when she pulls away even more, jumping a little at the next snap of the band* Trying to will up a condom to end my suffering. *She leans forward to kiss his neck again* If that's your excuse to touch under my bra, you could just take it off.

*he fiddles with the clasps, intentionally not unhooking the band while he tips his head back so it's easier for her to kiss him. He says through heavy breaths* I- I may not be able to say no. *he lets out a moan*

*Her hands go to his hair when he moans, sucking a little harder into his neck for a few moments before murmuring* There are other things we can do.

*he gasps when she sucks at his neck- not really caring that it's going to leave a mark. He pulls away then to look up at her* I don't want to only do the other things. *he leans up to kiss her*

*She half-whimpers into the kiss and mumbles* God, me neither. *As nice as they are, she knows what she wants, and he knows too, and the only time she wants to be doing other things right now is as a precursor to the whole deal. Selfish, maybe, but she knows if they take whatever clothes are left off, that’s only the beginning.*

The noises you make aren't helping. *he deepens the kiss because Arin or not he is an idiot. He then reaches up to slide her bra straps down, having previously appreciated that look*

*His words just make her moan again, her eyes half-shutting* Do you like it?

*he pulls back and presses a kiss to her cheek then he whispers into her ear* I love it. *then he kisses her neck again, sucking the same way she'd done to him*

*She closes her eyes fully then and gasps out* Arin. *Her hands go to his hair and she cranes her neck to give him better access*

*he sucks harder while his hands go back to grips her thighs and he squeezes. Then he pulls away to look at the expression on her her face and he murmurs* Bee. Look at me?

*She does, pulling away and staring at him with flushed cheeks and heavy breaths and a whole lot of thoughts swirling around*

*he reaches up and brushes his fingers against the spot on her neck where he'd been kissing- not taking his eyes from hers as he pulls his hand back and gently tugs at a lock of her hair* I like the way you say my name. 

*She smiles when he tugs on her hair, leaning just a tad closer, breathing starting to level but still heavy* Do you?

*he tugs her hair again, beginning to sense a pattern with what makes her smile. Arin nods slowly* Very much.

*She leans forward and presses a kiss to his cheek, mumbling against his cheek* Arin. *Then a kiss to his other cheek* Arin. *She presses a kiss to his forehead* Arin. *And then she just pulls back to look at him, smiling*

*his heart races more with each kiss she presses again and when she pulls away he breathes* I want to hear you moan it. *he touches his fingertips to her lips*

*She stares down at him, breathing a few heavy gasps from what he says. After a moment, she presses a finger into where she was sucking into his neck, just wanting a reaction. This is so far to get when they don’t have anything else to work with, and it’s getting harder and harder to stop.* Give me a reason to.

*he shivers when she presses against the spot in his neck then brushes the back of his hand along her cheek* Tell me where to start. *he states, not breaking the stare*

*She keeps eye contact as she takes his hand, sliding it from her face to her ass again* Let's see if you can figure it out, baby.

*he grasps the soft skin and looks at her for confirmation* There? *then he reaches up for the clasp of the bra* Here?

*She keeps her eyes on his and nods, breathing heavily still*

*he snaps it again just to tease her, then he goes to to tug at her hair some more- just enjoying taking his time* 

*She rolls her eyes and smiles* Guess you're gonna need to work for that moan.

*he smiles up at her the trails his hand down along he spine until he reaches the top of her underwear and he runs a finger along the band* Warmer?

*She keeps smiling but closes her eyes and hums* Very.

*he leans up more and smiles at her* Kiss me?

*She opens her eyes and leans to press her lips against his very gently*

*he kisses her back then pulls away and says* I think it’ll be bad if we don’t stop.

*She pulls away just slightly to look at the position they're in and looks back at him* I'm sure it'll be fine. *She says it mostly as a joke because she isn't stupid, but also,,,*

*he groans* I wish... but... *he kisses her briefly* One scare is more than enough for me.

*She frowns, furrowing her eyebrows at the confession because,,, this is the first she's heard of it* One scare?

*he nods slowly* Yeah... it was a while ago. *he swallows nervously*

*Her expression turns to one of more understanding when he tells her, but she’s still not entirely sure what to say. It’s a lot to take in, but it’s a secret he seems to have been harboring. As she considers, she fixes the straps of her bra just to do something and feel more presentable* You were with... *She doesn't say the name because she’s noticed he never does either, even though she doubts it’s anyone else. She supposes it could be, but it would make the most sense.*

Felicity. *he nods again* Yes. But I’m sure you can work out how that ended. There’s clearly not a mini me running around the palace. *he frowns at the memories*

*She shifts off him into his side at the change in mood, resting her head on his shoulder and laying her arm over his stomach.* Was that... why you broke up?

*he stares up at the ceiling, intertwining his fingers with the hand she’s draped. He takes a deep breath* No, but I’m sure it didn’t help at the end of the day.

*She gives his hand a squeeze* It's a hard thing to go through.

*he squeezes her hand back and shakes his head* You know... right now I wouldn’t mind swapping out everything that’s going on for something that feels so simple and easy in retrospect.

*She brushes his thumb over the back of his hand absentmindedly, frowning a bit* Things kinda suck right now.

*he lets out a laugh* Somehow a baby seems easier than everything else.

*She looks up at him, raising her eyebrows as she smiles* You say that now, but try ending up with a baby like my sister and be stuck with her forever as your child.

*he shrugs* Well, I guess we won’t ever know, will we?

*She huffs out a laugh* Let's not go there. Wouldn't want you to go gray before 25, and you may be getting close already.

*he scoffs* Now you’re just trying to tease me. *he shakes his head*

*She smiles and reaches up to brush her fingers through his hair. She pinches a clump of hair near the front* Oh, yeah, right there.

*he swats her hand away* We both know you’re lying. And lying can have consequences.

*She narrows her eyes as she looks up at him, smirking, her voice innocent and oh god here we go again* What kind of consequences, Your Majesty?

*he leans closer to her and whispers in her ear* The kind where we don’t stop and you say my name the way I like.

*She keeps smirking, the look in her eye absolutely devious* Maybe I should keep lying then. Sounds like you'd still let me enjoy it.

Maybe you should because I’ll make sure you enjoy it. *he raises his eyebrows at her*

*She moves her hand from where it was resting at her side to the edge of his boxers, up his stomach, and finally raises a pinky, staring at him with raised eyebrows* Is that a promise?

*he lifts up his hand, holding out his pinky* Maybe it is. *he leans closer, close enough to kiss her*

*She wraps her pinky around his and almost bumps her nose to his but doesn't quite kiss him, still smirking* You can put your money where your mouth is. *Her eyes flicker to his lips and then back up to his eyes* And I expect you to know how to use it.

*he scoots in closer, still holding onto her pinky* And I expect you to let me know what a good job I do. *there’s a gleam in his eyes*

*She smiles and pulls his pinky toward her, leaning toward him* As much as you want.

*he squeezes her pinky* Wherever I want? *he brushes his lips across her cheek*

*She's starting to breathe heavier again because they're back on their bullshit, but nevertheless...* Whenever you want.

*he kisses her cheek then breathes in a low voice* I want now. *the he kisses her lips again*

*She closes her eyes and kiss him back, shifting half on top of him, but she doesn't let it go on for long before she pulls away, staring down at him with heavy breaths* Okay, maybe not whenever.

*he groans and nods* That’s how accidents happen. *he settles his hands on her lower back*

*She laughs and leans down to kiss his cheek* No accidents. Just responsible adults.

*he chuckles* For some reason hearing you say that makes me want to be irresponsible.

*She rolls her eyes and pinches his hip* Hope you're ready to pay a hefty sum of child support then.

*he sucks in a breath at the pinch but his amusement doesn’t fade* It sounds like you’re assuming I wouldn’t do the right thing and marry you. *his fingers tap against her back*

*She huffs a small laugh, but there's less humor in it than before. A part of her likes the idea that he’d marry her if they ended up in that position, but that wouldn’t be how she wants it.* Marriage is about loving the other person, not doing the right thing.

You don’t think I could love you? *he leans in closer and kisses her cheek*

*She stares at him for a moment, thinking about that, how it makes her feel until she ultimately averts her eyes* He... told me a lot no one would ever love me like he does, but I know he's wrong. *She looks back at him and gives a small smile* You should be allowed to be happy no matter what. Whether that's someone here or you say fuck it and find someone completely different in ten years. *She shrugs* Up to you.

Jen... that wasn’t love. *he strokes her thighs- trying to be soothing as well as he can be* And you deserve to be happy to. Fuck it or not.

*She smiles and brings up a hand to his face, stroking at thumb over his face* Don't worry about me.

*he covers her hand with his* I’m going to worry where you tell me to or not... *he laughs softly then adds* Ma’am.

Fair. *She reaches up with her other hand and pinches his hair again* But not too much. Watch out for the gray.

*he squeezes her thigh* You really like telling me what to do, don’t you?

*Her smile is more genuine now, but her eyes have that same spark of deviousness* I do, but you can tell me what to do sometimes too.

*he squeezes her thigh again and smirks up at her* I like it when you talk equality to me. It’s hot.

*She stares at him incredulously for a moment before bursting out into laughter before leaning down to his ear and lowering her voice* Well, it's a good thing I like to be on top just as much as I like you on top of me.

Like I said, I want you to let me know how much you enjoy it. *he grips her thighs a little harder and then adds* Bee.

Trust me, I am. *She leans forward a presses a quick kiss to his lips before moving back into his side* Do you know what time it is?

*he groans and looks towards one of the windows* Morning? *he looks over at her then says with a smile* Hey.

*She smiles back at him just because of how cute he looks like this* Hey. 

*he smiles and chuckles a little* You’re a beautiful mess.

*She laughs and reaches up to ruffle his hair* You're not faring much better yourself.

*he pulls his head back* We could always stay up here and make it worse.

*She goes to pinch his hip again* Responsible adults, remember?

*he pinches her right back* I promise you all of my thoughts are very adult at the moment.

*She squirms away from the pinch, wrinkling her nose with a smile* You're the one who's gonna get us in trouble. 

A fun kind of trouble. *he snuggles in closer and lets out a tired sigh*

*She rolls her eyes but wraps her arm around him, not wanting to let him go. She runs a hand over his hair* Still tired?

*he nods while he closes his eyes a little* Yeah. Someone kept me up late last night.

*She hums as she looks down at him, stroking his hair* Did you have a good time, at least?

*he yawns and gives her a sleepy smile then mumbles* The best time.

*She smiles as she continues stroking his hair* I'm sure they had a pretty good time too.

Promise? *he leans forward to kiss her gently, wrapping his arms around her more*

*She doesn't answer, just kissing him back, but she fumbles to find his hand to wrap her pinky around his own to promise*

*he pulls away, still smiling softly. He whispers as he drifts off* I like you a lot.

*She moves her arm back around his waist to hold him, and when he speaks, she smiles and rests her head back on the couch, whispering* Me too.

Bee? *he lets out a SLEEPY moan*

*She starts stroking his side as she closes her eyes* Hm?

Stay with me? *he drifts off more*

*She smiles but keeps her eyes closed, still stroking his side. And even if she knows he probably has things to do, she's not going to wake him up because God knows he needs to sleep. She leans a bit toward his ear and whispers* I'll stay.

*that calms him more and he finally slips away, feeling safe and secure*

*She probably stays a wake for a few minutes longer, just staring down at him and thanking whoever might be listening that she has the opportunity to do this. She wanted to hold him knowing she loved him just once back in the Great Hall, but this is twice now. She gets to look at his sleeping face and know exactly what she wants for once in her time here. She would be content to do that all day too, but she also hasn't slept in days and eventually drifts off as well*

*he wakes up an hour or two later, feeling better rested than in a long while and he pull her closer again, but gently so he doesn't wake her*

*Imma say she keeps sleeping and he can wake her up for a change because she's passed tf out*

*after a few minutes he leans in to kiss her cheek then trails a few kisses lower towards her neck. then he murmurs her nickname*

*She stirs the slightest bit*

*he kisses her neck gently the murmurs again* Bee...

*It takes her a few moments to open her eyes, and she immediately squints and closes them again* Hm? *she sounds extra tired now*

We should get up. *he kisses her neck again then pulls away to kiss her on the lips*

*Her hands go up to his hair, but she doesn't open her eyes, sleep just so easy to slip back into as she lay next to him.* Don't want to.

They'll send a search party for us if we don't emerge soon. *he kisses her cheek again*

*She groans and wraps her arm around him, still not opening her eyes* Can't you tell them to go away. You're the boss.

*he chuckles* Is that really what you want? For me to abuse my power?

*She smiles, opening her eyes just a peek as she pretends to think* Mm, yes. I think it's a valid abuse of power.

*he breathes a laugh* And what if I’d rather use that power to tell you to kiss me?

*She opens her eyes a little wider and stares up at him with a smile* I'd say maybe you'll get what you want.

In that case. *he leans closer then tells her* Kiss me.

*She almost decides to be sassy, but then she leans up and kisses him, both hands going to his hair because she wants to keep him there as long as possible, relish in the little time they have left.*

*he kisses her back for a few moment then he pulls away* Come on. We both know how this ends if we start again.

*She lays back again the couch with a huff, staring straight at him* Maybe you should come better prepared next time.

You could have too. You’re the one who brags about her stash. *he lets go of her and sits up

I was not /bragging./ Just informing. *She also shifts to sit up, grimacing as she stretches out her back* I can't believe I slept that long on that couch.

*he looks over at her with a soft smile* I can’t believe /we/ slept that long at all.

*he pushes back the blanket*

*She raises her eyebrows as she watches him* You too? Must be magic.

*he chuckles* That or it was the paint fumes. *he stands up and glances around for his clothes then looks back to her* We really made a mess.

*She watches him, not moving as she leans back against the couch* Could've made a bigger one.

*he picks up his shirt and considers putting it on for a moment but then tosses it to her* You said whenever...

*She catches his shirt and stares down at it for a moment, confused as to why he'd tossed it at her, but she looks back up at him and leans forward to slip the shirt on. She looks down again, admiring how it hangs off her frame for a moment before casually leaning back and meeting his gaze again like nothing is wrong. Is this one of her fantasies? Perhaps* So I did.

*he watches her for a moment, raising his eyebrows at her, then he surveys the area for his pants. When he spots them a few feet away by the couch he asks her with a hint of a smirk* Why am I getting the feeling that you’re enjoying this?

*She hums and stretches out her legs* I have no idea what you're talking about. *Even though she very much is*

No idea at all? *he walks towards the couch and picks up his pants. He keeps watching her and he slips a leg into his pants*

*A hand comes up to fiddle with his shirt collar as she smirks* Not a clue.

*he pulls at the pant leg then slips his other leg in* If it weren’t as late as it is I wouldn’t mind giving you some ideas. *he pulls his pants up and zips them*

*She watches him with very interested eyes as he puts on his pants, her gaze only flickering to his eyes* Too bad. I'd love to see them sometime.

*he does the button then straightens and looks over over in his shirt- pleased by the sight* We can make that happen.

I look forward to making that happen. *She looks down at his shirt and brushes her fingers over the fabric very slowly* It's all wrinkled now. *She looks back up at him* You really should be more careful.

*he walks towards her and over her, placing his palms flat against the cushions on either side of her. Then he says in a lower voice, clearly amused* You know how I feel about being careful.

*She looks up at him, devious amusement in her eyes* Maybe you should be a little less careful sometimes.

Oh- it’s possible I haven’t been careful enough when it comes to certain things. *he leans in closer* Like my feelings.

*She raises her eyebrows* And what are your feelings right now?

*he presses a kiss to her cheek then pulls back* Very... hungry.

*She laughs as she stares up at him* Maybe you should go eat then.

Are you coming? *he raises his eyebrows at her*

*She hums, eyes shifting over the floor at their clothes* Getting dressed looks pretty difficult. Not sure I can manage.

*he doesn’t take his eyes of hers* I don’t think I mind you undressed... so that sounds more than fine to me.

Does it? *She tilts her head* Sadly, I can't go out like this.

I can always make a really quick trip and we can stay. *he leans closer again* As long as you want.

*The offer is tempting, but she raises her eyebrows in amusement* Don't you have to work?

I’m the boss. I make the rules. *he raises his eyebrows*

Now look who's abusing his power. *She narrows her eyes a little* Whatever happened to responsible adults?

You said you didn’t mind me abusing my power. *he shifts his weight to one hand so he can reach up with his other and run his fingers along where a bruise is forming on her neck* And we could be responsible.

*She smirks a bit as she also reaches up to press her thumb into the bruising spot on his neck* You're being a bit bad. Maybe I should make you wait.

*he sucks in a breath when she presses her thumb into the bruise but doesn’t look away* Maybe I am being bad- but you seem to like it. *he leans closer and whispers in a low voice into his ear* You didn’t want to wait last night.

*She huffed a laugh, thumb still on his neck but stroking his skin now* Not sure how far we would've gotten last night. You passed out pretty fast.

Well, I’ve had a full night of sleep now. *his lips brush across her neck*

*She closes her eyes, letting out a shaky breath* Not sure it averages out your whole week.

It’s Monday. So it evens out well enough. *he kisses her another long moment then pulls away to look her in the eyes to gauge what she’s thinking*

*She smiles when he pulls away, leaning back into the couch* You're nice to look at.

*he looks her over* Has anyone ever told you that button downs suit you? Specifically mine?

Can't say they have. *She leans forward the slightest bit, smirking* Can I keep it?

*he bites back a smirk* What will you give me for it?

*Her smirk widens a bit* What do you want?

What are my options? *he presses his hand back into the cushion, leaning closer*

*She lightly shrugs* I've got a real nice AU hoodie available currently.

Wylan’s? *he tilts his head to the side, giving her a curious look*

*She laughs* It /was/ Wylan's four months ago. Now it's mine. *That hoodie has seen a lot in its time with her, mostly crying, but now apparently a bit more than that.*

*he narrows his eyes suspiciously- but more for show than anything* And what did you give /him/ for his sweatshirt?

*She narrows her eyes back, though she knows his is playful* Nothing, actually. Wylan's much nicer than you.

Oh really? *he leans closer* Does he kiss you the way I do? Or get you to beg him not to stop? *he looks her over in his shirt again*

*She grimaces for a very split-second because that is her FRIEND'S BOY AND EW, but she knows he's not serious, so she leans forward, her heart rate picking up because they are freaky. Her voice lowers a bit, and her voice a bit breathy* No. Just you. * _I just want you._ *

Just me? *his smirks grows* I like the sound of that. *he then gets as close as he can without kissing her*

*She lets out a shaky breath, her eyes staring into his because he really has no idea how much she likes the sound of that too, and the fact that he thinks so as well makes her more pleased than it should, but she can’t bring herself to say anything about it yet.* Trying to make me beg you again?

Would you if I wanted you to? *he still doesn't look away. But he does his best to keep his breathing steady*

*She bites her bottom lip the tiniest bit and gives a little nod, not trusting her words*

*he brushes his lips across hers and says- still in that low voice* I want to take my time.

*She lets out the tiniest whimper when he brushes her lips* Arin.

*that makes his breath catch* Say it again. *he doesn't move at all*

*Her breathing picks up and she closes her eyes from a combination of him ordering her around and everything else. Nonetheless* Arin.

*he groans again and pulls back* I like the way you say my name. *he leans in to give her a surprisingly gentle kiss*

*She opens her eyes and sit there for a moment, almost dazed from the moment he'd just broken, but she blinks and looks at him, still breathing heavy* So you've said.

And I'll keep saying it as long as you keep saying my name. *he presses another kiss to here cheek*

*She smiles then and leans forward to also press a kiss again his cheek* Guess you'll have to keep saying it. *She smirks and adds* Arin.

*he lets out a happy groan when she kisses his cheek the asks softly* Do you like it when I say yours?

*She smiles and wraps her arms around his neck, leaning closer* I thought you already knew the answer to that. *She presses a kiss to his other cheek and pulls back* I love when you say mine.

*he closes his eyes and murmurs* Jen... Jen... Jen... *he pulls away a little but not enough to break her hold on him and he wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her up*

*She's smiling until she's pulled up, surprised from the action. She looks up at him with a playful glare* Could've given me warning.

Where's the fun in that? *he gives her a smile* Jen...

*She wraps her arms around his waist and raises herself up on her toes* Are we actually getting up now? *She leans a little closer* Arin.

When you say my name I just want to find ways to keep you from stopping. *he doesn't move closer yet, just content to stand there for a moment*

*She shifts up and presses a kiss to his neck* I thought you were hungry.

*he moans at the feeling of her lips on his neck and holds her tighter* Suddenly I'm not very hungry for food.

*She keeps her lips on his neck as she stands on the couch, which I guess puts them at similar heights* What are you hungry for then?

*he actually gasps because here we freaking are again- also it feels nice. The feeling makes him shiver as he breathes* You.

*She starts sucking a new spot into his neck just because she fucking can, her grip tightening on him at that. After a moment, she kisses up to his jaw, pulling away for just a second to whisper* What part?

*he keeps his eyes closed still then he murmurs* Whichever will make you say my name the most. *his grip on her waist tightens and he pulls her up higher so she'll likely have to wrap her legs around his hips*

*She does what she has to and wraps her leg around him. It reminds her of the wall but with a lot less clothing. She returns to the spot she'd just been sucking for a few moments before murmuring against his skin* Want you to make me say your name. *And then she goes back to his neck, having an idea of exactly what he needs to do to accomplish that*

Jen. *he gasps, trying to hold onto her so she doesn't nearly end up on the floor like last time.* I- I... *he can't finish the sentence because of the way she's distracting him*

Don't drop me. *She goes back to his neck, sucking into that spot until she's satisfied and moves onto the other side of his neck* 

I- *he shivers at how getting a hickey feels- screw it idk- still gripping her waist* If I lay you down I can't drop you.

*She pulls away with a gasp at the suggestion* Then we'll be right back where we started.

Maybe... but we could finish what we start this time. *he looks at her then, more intently*

*She whimpers a little at the thought but goes in for his neck again, this time just kissing so she doesn't do anything else* Can't. *She says it between kisses* Safety first, and I can't take the pill.

*he kisses her back for long moment then pulls away* I only need a few minutes. *he kisses her again*

*She cracks a smile as she pulls away, her arm going around his neck* Remember me saying you're not fucking me in an attic?

*he nods, grinning a little at that memory* At least not the first time.

*She leans in and kisses him very briefly before pulling away* I think I changed my mind.

*he stills and pulls away more fully just to look her over* You- what...?

*She unwraps her legs from around him, hopping back to stand on the couch and pulling him into a kiss* Want you.

*he kisses her back with more fervency while his hands go to her lower back, then a little lower*

*She moans into the kiss, her hands going from his neck to his pants, and she pulls him toward her by his belt loops*

*he makes a small noise when she pulls him closed before he lets go of her so he can pull his shirt off of her*

*She groans when he takes the shirt off, pulling away to bury her face in his neck* I'll be cold.

*he laughs and wraps his arms around her* There's a blanket. Also, I'm here.

*She leans into his touch but looks up at him with a smile* Weren't you leaving?

*he looks at her expression just to double check that she's sure but then still has to ask* Is it what you want?

*She reaches up and presses her thumb into one of the new marks on his neck* Only if you do.

*he nods and pulls away* I do. 

*She lets go of him then and immediately goes to grab the blanket and wrap it around her* Then be fast.

*he takes a shaky breath from all the silence and patience and pining and anticipation while his hands start shaking from holding back from her. He takes a few steps towards the door*

*She also lets out a shaky breath but simply wraps the blanket tighter around her and lies down on the couch, watching him go*

*he gives her one last look before he leaves, really just shook that this is happening- no one more shook than me*

*She can't help but smile seeing him go, even though it's a very conflicting emotion to what else she's feeling and finally alone for the first time in a While, she glances down at the floor at the clothes scattered on the floor before looking back up at the feeling like completely sure but nervous at the same time. She and Arin are doing this. It’s not just a fantasy anymore.*

*Arin arrives back maybe 7-10 minutes later, taking a deep breath before he gets to the top of the stairs. He’s wearing a different button down and a nervous smile as he walks over to the couch, where he murmurs* Hey.

*She smiles as she looks up at him, shifting into a sitting position* You get what we needed?

*he nods, fiddling with them in his pocket* I did... if you want to.

*She frowns a little as she reaches for him* What's wrong?

*he takes her hand and shakes his head* Nothing... I’m just nervous.

*She tilts her head a little and pulls him closer, her grip on his hand firm but reassuring* Why are you nervous?

Why wouldn’t I be? *he laughs softly then sits down beside her*

*She shifts a little closer, her free hand going to brush over his hair, trying to ease whatever anxiety he’s having about this because that’s that last thing she wants.* I want you to be comfortable. We shouldn't if you're not.

I am. I just left and it was like somehow being up here had made me forget. *he leans in to her touch*

Ah. *She trailed her hand down to his face and brushed a thumb over his cheek* I guess this room is our own little bubble. *She gave him a small smile* Maybe I can help you forget.

*he looks over at her with a sad smile, knowing what she means* Usually you try and get me to remember.

*She still gets the sense he's not in the mood yet, so she leans over and presses a soft kiss to his lips for a few moments* Does that help?

*he closes his eyes, trying to be in the moment. But it’s hard- even if he knows he wants it. He scoots closer, kissing her back very gently*

*She kisses him back for a moment and pulls away to check to make sure he's okay. She knows how much has happened since the Great Hall, and she knows that this is a big step to take. She wants to approach it in a way that makes both of them comfortable.*

*he frowns in confusion* What? *his hand moves to stoke her thigh*

*Her voice is a bit softer* Are you sure?

*he nods* Certain. *is he? Idk anymore but eh*

*She strokes his face cheek again* Kiss me then?

*he leans in and gives her a gentle kiss, while his hand traveled higher on her thigh*

*She leans in close and kisses him just a bit harder, testing the water as her hands go to the collar of his shirt*

*he leans it more at that, still trying to be gentle with his kisses*

*She keeps kissing him, trying to keep it soft since that's what he seems to need first. A little comfort. One hand goes to his hair, brushing over it gently while her other hand caresses the skin of his neck*

*he moves closer, bringing his hand to her waist. Then he pulls away to look at her, still trying to make sure it’s okay even if she keeps kissing him*

*When he pulls away, her eyebrows furrow in concern* You okay?

*he nods* I’m okay. *he leans back in, kissing her harder this time because he knows that she will tell him if it’s not okay or that he’s smart enough to tell on his own because he actually cares unlike Ian*

*Now that he seems a little more like himself, she kisses back equally as hard, pulling him closer to her as well as shifting herself closer as well, getting a little more into it*

*he breaks away from her to trail kisses down towards her neck while he pulls her to him as well as he can, more intent on making this happen*

*She shifts onto his lap to straddle him, the blanket falling back onto the couch from her shoulders and she suddenly doesn't need it because she is w a r m. With his mouth on her neck, she starts unbuttoning his shirt with nervous hands, a little more aware of what they're about to do, and it's very real now that she knows there's nothing stopping them*

*he pulls away so he can help her. He puts his hand over hers and murmurs* Let me help you. *he undoes a few of the buttons- with hands as equally as shaky.*

*She lets go and nods, a soft smile as she looks down and just watches him, but noticing his shakiness, she tries to quell it with conversation* Remember our first real meeting? The kitchen?

*his hands still and he looks up at her in surprise because what an interesting time to bring that up. But he still nods* Scotch and ice cream. And I made an awful joke.

*She huffs a laugh* Right. I had no idea how to feel about you then. It's funny to think where we are right now.

And right now how do you feel about me? *he reaches out to hold onto her waist, genuinely enjoying their conversation*

I feel like I wouldn't mind having some more ice cream with you. *She leans in to kiss his cheek to punctuate the sentence* The scotch is a maybe.

*he smiles at the thought* I wouldn’t mind either. For both. *he rubs her back, closing his eyes when she kisses his cheek*

Sometime soon. *She kisses his lips now, not pulling away immediately as she just lets herself think about that. Just him and her and ice cream. Chocolate, of course, and maybe a bit of scotch if she was feeling okay with it. Something so simple, so easy.* For now...

Soon. *he nods and pulls away so he can finish the buttons. He huffs a nervous laugh* It was dumb of me to put this on I guess.

*She's still smiling as she watches him, noticing his nervousness* How long has it been since...

*that makes his hands shake a bit more and he takes a deep breath, unable to look at her then for some reason* 8 months...

*Seeing how nervous he is, she takes his hand and gives it a squeeze* Hey, it's okay. It's been, uh... *She swallows, letting out a shaky breath as she thinks about the last time it happened. She isn’t even sure whether she would even call the last time sex, even if most people wouldn’t consider it rape either. The lines had blurred so much at that point between the two, but now she knows she never really wanted it. She just wanted whatever he would give her. More visibly affected than she means to be, she says* Almost four months for me.

*he squeezes her hand back and seeing her expression he finds to find the right words to say* Hey- remember... we said firsts don’t matter. First time or hundredth... we’re here now. *he brushes his thumb over her hand*

*She smiles at that and takes their entwined hands and presses a kissed to his in hers* I want to remember my first with you. *In a different way than she remembers Landry or Patrick. She wants to look back and feel the same way she does right now. She wants to remember it all. Every touch, every word, every misstep. She doesn’t want perfection. She just wants him.*

*he actually BLUSHES at that and swallows because eMoTiOnS and also they’re really doing this huh. He says softly* Really?

*She nods, also blushing a little because what an admission* It's been memorable so far.

*he leans up to kiss her on the cheek, then he pulls away* Sneaking downstairs was certainly memorable.

*She laughs and brings up a hand to stroke his hair* Did you get caught?

No... but I was trying to get around without being noticed. *he grimaces at the hair ruffle because he for sure fixed it before he came back upstairs*

*She smirks* That's why you always come prepared before.

You didn’t come prepared. *he raises his eyebrows in challenge*

*She leans a little closer* I'm never prepared.

I’m not sure that’s something to brag about. *he gives her a look of amusement*

Didn't have a reason to be prepared. *She looks down at the unbuttoned shirt and smiles* Guess I do now, but I still only have nine.

*he swallows again* Maybe let’s start with one? *he reaches up to touch her cheek*

*She lets out a small laugh and nods even though she’s shaking on the inside.* Okay. *She leans in to kiss him again*

*he kisses her back, still gently- but he pulls his hand away from her face and puts his hands back on her waist again, stroking her skin*

*She kisses him back equally as gentle, her hands coming to his shoulders to slowly push down to shirt off them*

*he fumbles for the last few buttons- #struggling, while he kisses her and just appreciates the moment*

*She pulls away and bursts out in giggles after he starts fumbling the buttons and begins to press kisses to his neck, hands running over his now bare shoulders, getting even more impatient with every passing moment*

*he huffs a laugh* This is very romantic. I can’t get the buttons undone and you’re laughing at me. *he squirms a little*

*She pulls away, laughing one final time before swatting his hands away and doing it herself, enjoying the ease and softness of the moment* I wasn't laughing at you. I'm sorry.

*he pulls his hands back to let her finish up the buttons* I know you weren’t laughing at me- not really. *he swallows* This all seemed so... different when we couldn’t do anything.

*She pauses the buttoning and looks up at him before nodding* A little more nerve-wracking. *She cracks a smile* Maybe the absence gave us too long to think.

I was only gone for a few minutes. *he blushes AGAIN because this is something else and it’s different than all the previous flirting and things they’ve implied*

*She notices the reaction and smiles, leaning in to kiss him again just because she can* You're so cute.

*she’s really not helping because his heart rate just shoots through the roof as he kisses her back, bringing his hands up to cup her cheeks*

*She kisses back and it's different from most of theirs today. Not soft but happy. She just wants to keep kissing him, feels like she can go on forever if they had the time to. She wishes more than anything they did.*

*he takes the risk of deepening the kiss- focused more on that than anything. Because somehow in the moment kissing her feels like the only thing he needs EVEN IF HE HAS CONDOMS*

*both her hands go to his face as she kisses him back, getting more and more into it as they keep going this direction, enjoying every second because even without words, it feels like all that needs to happen. She can be content with continuing on like this, staying with him without the sex, without anything else. She just wants him.*

*he pulls back and breathlessly stares at her for a long moment before speaking* Thank you for staying.

*her breathing is a bit heavy whirl she stares at him, surprised he was bringing that up. She’d thought she’d made it obvious she would* Of course. Whatever you need.

I mean... *he takes a deep breath* When you told me to send you home.

*Her face falls a little as she remembers back to that night. Still in this attic but with something else entirely. Then, she didn’t entirely know what she wanted. Whether that was him or something else, and everything combined with the fight was too much all at once. God knows how much she would have regretted it if she had. She strokes her thumb across his cheek because it wasn't great for either of them* I'm really glad I stayed with you. * _I’m really glad I let myself have the time to figure things out._ *

*he lets go of her with one hand and brings the hand up between them, holding up his pinky* Promise?

*She smiles as she brings up her pinky up to wrap around his* Promise. *She leans in to kiss him again*

*he kisses her back only holding her pinky with his a few moments more before his hand returns to her back and he tries to press her closer to him*

*She does indeed press closer to him, continuing to kiss him as her hands go up to cup his face, and she's definitely feeling that energy now*

*he pulls his lips for hers to kiss her neck- maybe just wanting to see if he can get her to gasp or say his name or both. So he goes for it and decides he’s going to give her another hickey, but this time he’s a little less forceful (?) with it*

*She wasn't expecting him to pull away at all, so when he goes to her neck, she gasps AND gives him what he wants, hands going to his hair to pull him closer* Arin.

*he doesn’t stop just yet because apparently our special freaks are moving slow now that they can actually do it. Then when he pulls away he kisses her cheek and murmurs her name* Jen. *then the other cheek* Jen. *then he kisses her mouth before pulling back* Jen.

*She's breathing heavily when he pulls away, hands still in his hair, and when he says her name for the last time, she immediately goes in and kisses him again, a little rougher, a little more wanting. She tugs again on his shirt, just wanting it off*

*he reaches tugs at the buttons then finally has to start undoing the last remains buttons. He pulls away from the kiss so he can take the shirt off- trying to be as quick as possible*

*She misses him the moment he pulls away and immediately pulls him back when the shirt is off, kissing him even harder this time*

*he kisses her back, wrapping his arms around her and reaching up beneath the back band of her bra the way he do- not really caring as much about the nervousness from long before*

*She lets out a small moan in between kisses, shifting back just slightly for her hands to fumble with the button of his pants*

*he doesn’t stop her this time, only shifting his hips up to make it easier for her to get the pants off*

*It doesn't take her long to get the button and unzip him, and that's when she moves off his lap to let him take them off, breathing heavily as she sits up*

*Arin has deadass never moved faster as he pulls his pants off and kicks them away from his body- because screw folding when there are more important things to do. He pulls her back to him by the waist, and turns so he can sort of lean over her to kiss her again*

*She laughs again seeing him rush until she's silenced by his kiss, just pulling him closer. She doesn't lay back yet, but she's close to it*

*he hand goes back beneath the band of her bra while the other hand supports his body so his weight is on her*

*She finally lies back and pulls him onto her, leaning up to kiss him as she kinda shifts underneath him, bringing her legs up to the side of his hips*

*he moves so he’s over her more and she’s nearly beneath him fully. He reaches down and gently runs his hand along her leg that’s hooked around him*

*She keeps kissing him, leaning up to be closer to him. After a moment, she pulls away* I think we may need what was in your pants.

*he looks down at her, breathing heavily. Then he mutters* Fuck. *he leans down to give her a quick kiss before he gets off of her and goes to his pants*

*She watches him, propping herself on her elbows as she waits for him with flushed cheeks and heavy breaths*

*he pulls out the condom💀⚰️ ((I’m deceased)) and takes a moment to look at the little wrapper then he looks back to her and without hesitation he walks back towards her, stopping at the edge of the couch*

*She smiles up at him, even if she's a little nervous* How do we wanna do this?

*that makes him blush but still he sits down bedside her and gives her a longing but confused look* I- I knew before I thought this would actually happen...

*Her smile turns soft at his nervousness and she sits up and scoots as close as she can, taking his hand into her own* And what was that?

*he leans over, giving her hand a squeeze* I wanted to kiss you first. *he leans towards her to kiss her, putting his hand that is HOLDING THE CONDOM on her cheek*

*She closes her eyes as he kisses her, first pleased by the thought that he’d imagined this with her and decided that of all things, he wanted a kiss, but her eyes fly open when she feels the packet against her cheek, and she pulls away, smirking* Are you trying to hint at something, Arin?

*he pulls back in surprise, eyes widening* I- *he makes a noise of embarrassment* I’m so sorry.

*She laughs and leans in to kiss him briefly for a moment* So cute. *She kisses his cheek and takes his hand again before turning toward him, legs crossed* Still okay?

*he nods* Still okay. *He leans back in to kiss her but stops* Did you just call me cute...

*She smiles again, also leaning closer* What if I did?

*he smiles a little* I’d have to tell you that you’re gorgeous- because cute doesn’t do you justice at all.

*She immediately blushes because she's still not used to receiving compliments, but she doesn't retreat away like she used to* Can I be gorgeous /and/ cute?

*he nods* Of course. *he closes the distance between them and kisses her again. Then pulls away only enough to speak in a hushed tone that she can hear even if no one else is around* And stunning. *another kiss* And beautiful. *he leans in again*

*She's smiling the whole way through, barely able to manage kissing him, but she does kiss him the final time before brushing a hand over his hair as she stares at him fondly* Sounds like you're just reciting adjectives to me.

They’re very good adjectives. *he insists, giving her a soft but amused look*

I like adjectives. *She leans forward to press a kiss to his lips* You're cute. *Another kiss, this time on the corner of his mouth* So pretty. *Another kiss on his cheek* And handsome. *A kiss to his other cheek and then she pulls away* I love looking at you. *And she's definitely flushed from the confessions, but she keeps staring at him with that same look, hoping he knows exactly what it means _._ *

*he shivers at the way she’s looking at him then murmurs* You love me. *then kisses her, sweetly but still with that yearning for more that they managed to find again after he came back*

*She sighs into the kiss, hands coming to cup his cheeks. She pulls away after whatever amount of time just to speak, her eyes closed* I already told you I did. *The words are soft and she goes back into kiss him just a tad less sweetly, happy that he understands.*

*he groans into the kiss because despite all the apprehension he does know what he wants. He deepens the kiss and pushes her back into the cushions*

*She kinda pushes back against him but not in a way that means she wants away. She kisses him back fervently, wanting anything he'll give her*

*he reaches towards the back of her thigh so he can pull her leg over his lap as he kisses her harder. Because for the love of god we somehow ended up with baby Britzel.*

*She moves closer, pressing as far into him as she can. After a few moments, she pulls away and mumbles* Please.

Yes. *he says, pulling away more is he can lay her down on the sofa- so much for not the attic. He takes a good moment to look her over and see the look she’s giving him before her leans down to kiss her, less soft than before but still somehow gentle*

*She stares up at him with flushed cheeks, obviously nervous, but she smiles before she kisses him back. She goes to pull him closer*

*he leans in and lets out a moan. He lets her kiss him back for a little longer before he pulls away and look directly at her asks* Are you sure?

*She lets out a few breaths before she nods* Yes. I... haven't been with anyone since... *She averts her eyes for a second, swallowing. She knows she doesn't need to say the name for him to know* Just go slow. I'm a little nervous.

*he touches her cheek trying to reassure her and whispers* I'm nervous too. So nervous. *he brushes his thumb across her cheek* It's okay to say no.

*She gives just looks at him for a moment, thinking about how nice it is to hear those words right now* I know. *She leans up to kiss him for a moment, brushing her hands over his hair again before pulling away* You can too.

*he shakes his head* I don’t want to say no. My answer is yes. *he leans down and presses as kiss to her lips*

*She kisses him back for just a second before pulling away to press her forehead against his* Okay. *She presses a kiss to his cheek and then to his lips* I want you.

*his heart skips a beat at that because those words just hit him and he has to kiss her back, more deeply and desperate than before. He reaches beneath the strap of her bra and strokes her shoulder softly*

*She kisses him back with the same desperation, closing her eyes and sighing at his touch on her shoulder*

*he gently tugs the strap down the way it had been at some point before in this long ass RP. Then he breaks their kiss so he can press his lips to her collar bone*

*She gasps for breath when he finally pulls away and makes a small noise when his lips press to her collarbone and her hands go to his hair as he does so*

*he sucks on her skin, giving her another hickey- because why not. His hand that had been beneath her bra strap goes up to her neck and he gently presses his hand against her skin*

*She opens her eyes to look down at him sucking into her skin, smiling. She has no doubt her skin is going to be littered with bruises by the time they’re done, and usually she would find it annoying, but this time it’s all she wants. A reminder of the time they’ve spent together even after the fact* Really making sure I have to cover up, aren't you?

*he stops sucking and looks up at her with smile that's still soft* You don't have to if you don't want to. I like you either way.

*She ruffles his hair but keeps smiling* It's okay. It'll help me remember. You know how my memory is.

Will you remember this? *he takes his hand from her neck and reaches down to briefly run his fingertips along the top of her underwear before he runs his hands up along her stomach*

*Her breath catches when he brushes her underwear, her eyes shutting as she focuses on his hand on her stomach* Maybe. Not sure.

*he reaches up higher towards her bra, his hand stopping at the cup and he gently squeezes ((honk honk)) and his lips go back to her collarbone to kiss her*

*then he stops for a moment* Now? *then he kisses her collarbone again*

*She gasps when he squeezes her because whoa that's new and she brings her legs up to his waist as he goes back to her collarbone* Mm, yes.

*he reaches down to her leg and grips her thigh to keep her there- not that she's going anywhere- but really he just wants to touch her. He lifts his head up to kiss her lips fervently*

*She moans into the kiss, kissing him back equally as wanting. After a moment, she speaks between kisses* Touch me. *She keeps kissing him, getting more into it as they continue*

*he mumbles something like a yes then reaches back towards her underwear, stopping to get confirmation before he goes further*

*When he stops, she closes her eyes and gives the tiniest whimper* Please.

*He’s so close and his fingers brush the top of her underwear again*

*And here’sssssssss Mel standing at the top of the stairs- resident wine mom- she huffs and half rolls her eyes because of course this is what he’s at. She says in an incredulous tone* Arin. Seriously? You know you have a bedroom. With a lock. *she just stands there, staring at them, arms crossed*

*Her eyes are still closed when his fingers brush the top of her underwear, and she is ready and TIRED OF WAITING, but hearing Mel makes her eyes fly open and she jerks one of her knees into his ribs on reflex as she tries to move, eyes wide and not completely processing because my lord Mel has terrible time.*

*Arin makes a shocked and pained noise as some of the air is knocked out of him. He pulls back with a gasp and goes to a sitting position on the couch as he starts to cough a little. He quickly reaches for a pillow and uses it to cover his lap, which makes Jen almost laugh even though it shouldn’t. He really is suffering just as much as she is. Arin quickly glances at Jen then back to Mel.*

*She looks them over just shaking her head* If you want to have sex there are better places to do it. And you could have at least cancelled your meetings. *her eyes go to Jen- as she’s curious about which girl ended up beneath her son. She raises her eyebrows a little, recognizing her from the kitchen.*

*Jen sits up quickly when he does, apologizing first for kneeing him and then getting enough sense to grab the blanket that was underneath and wrapping it around herself, absolutely mortified because she’s met the woman one single time, and she was about to see her son do things to her that a mother should absolutely not witness. Jen can’t help but mentally curse because she was so close to being rid of the agony.*

*When Mel mentions the meetings, she pushes Arin's leg with her foot, not roughly but firmly* I told you to go work. *She avoids Mel's gaze because oh god she remembers their first meeting, and this wasn't how she thought the second would go*

*Arin shoots Jen a look of disbelief because she’s worried about that? When he has a pillow in his lap and they’re half naked. But he doesn’t say anything to Jen- only looking back to his mom.* Is there a reason you decided to- */interrupt us?/ he looks at Jen and some of that longing is still there because again they were so close but his eyes go back to Mel* come up here.

Do I have to have a reason to go anywhere in my own home? *she narrows her eyes a little at Jen, curious and amused about her reaction with the blanket because she sure didn’t seem shy only moments before. Then she tilts her head to the side and says to her* /Jen/ *hashtag making sure Jen knows that she knows her name and who she is* It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.

*She FLUSHES when Mel says her name because she hadn't actually been expecting her to remember her, and this was quite a situation to find herself in. One glance at Arin makes her, clear her throat and reach up to attempt to quickly fix hair that was inevitably sticking up* I'm cold. *Not a lie. She is now*

*Mel only smirks a little at Jen because /OH JEN/ before she turns back towards the stairs. Then she stops and turns back to them* Open a window next time. It smells like desperation and paint in here. *then as quick as she came she’s gone*

*Arin looks over at Jen and blows out a breath and just shakes his head because what the hell do you say after that?* 

*She winces at Mel's words but doesn't have time to think on them before she's gone. She turns to him awkwardly still clutching the blanket around her* Sorry I kneed you.

*he groans because good lord* It’s fine- I’m fine. I-….. *he doesn’t know what to say. So he just reaches for her hand because that’s as close as he can manage to be to her at the moment*

*She accepted his hand and stared down at them for a moment, thinking about what they'd almost just done and how nice it had felt before their interruption. She looks back up* Your mom is nice.

*the look he gives her a pained look and groans while he clutches the pillow with his other hand still* Please don't say her name with what just happened.

*She glances down at the pillow and presses her lips together because she knows exactly why it's there* Or maybe it's exactly what you need to hear right now.

*he follows her eyes and swallows nervously* I really don't agree...

*She looks back up at him, trying to resist a smirk because it's nOT a big deal but is the first confirmed presence of dick so it kind of is* Seems like people have been missing you.

*he blows out a breath* Well, the advisors weren’t my priority this morning. *then he looks back at her, frowning in confusion- oh god* Why are you looking at me like that?

*She shakes her head with a small smile and scoots a bit closer, squeezing his hand* Nothing, sorry. *She glances over at the door where Mel had left from* So...

You really want to talk about my mom right now? *he looks at her in agony because really? HIS MOM?!* 

*She presses her lips together again and looks down at the floor* No, sorry. I just don't know what else to say. *She looks back at him* Are you okay?

*he blows out a breath* I'm okay. Just... *he purses his lips*

*She turns to him and scoots closer, concerned* Just what?

*he grimaces then gives her an embarrassed smile* It's like the universe keeps getting in our way.

*Her expression turns soft and she looks down at their hands with a small smile* Or we should pick our spots better. *she looks back up at him* With no balls or missing morning meetings in an attic.

*he groans and squeezes her hand* No attic then? Like you said. 

*And she doesn't wanna say no, but this has been really inconvenient and she is t i r ed* Not the first time. *She brings up his hand and presses a kiss to his knuckles* Maybe a bed would be better. In a room with a /lock./

*he sighs* What if we just barricade the door? *he looks at her- still just longing*

*She scoots as close as she can and shifts onto her knees to lean up and press a kiss to his cheek* Seems like a lot of work.

Would you think it was worth it? *he shivers at the kiss*

*She smiles and brushes her lips against his cheek before moving to his lips* If you made it worth it. *She kisses his lips then and her hand sets against the pillow on his lap*

*he leans into the kiss- not realizing where her hand is because I pretend I do not see. He squeezes her hand somewhat involuntarily from trying to hold back*

*Because Anna pretends not see, she slightly pulls the pillow just a little toward her, kissing him back a little more fervently and letting go of his hand to bring it up to his cheek*

*as I scream oh godddddd Arin leans in to kiss her more passionately, reaching up with his other hand to touch to cover the hand she’s set on his cheek*

*She moves the pillow off his lap and swings a leg over to straddle him pressing against his chest as she kisses him harder. And then there's Me, not believing I'm letting her do this. Goodbye. I die with follow through on my grave. But Jen is an experienced gal, and she knows what she’s doing.*

*he gasps when she moves to straddle him because for the love of god here we go because they were WINDING down but bertha had to pull a jen and be stubborn we're here again and i am running out of people to interrupt them. He reaches up to grip her hips as he kisses her back, keeping her close*

*She keeps kissing him and I'm not going to mention what she does with her hips this is now a waist up rp. She kisses him back fervently, still wanting what they were about to do, but after whatever amount of time, she pulls back and smiles* Still in the attic.

*he groans when she pulls away but who knows why,,,, waist up- nothing else exists. He gives her a tired smile back, and leans in closed* Still beautiful.

*She leans in to kiss him softly once before pulling away, her smile soft and she ruffles his hair* You're not too bad yourself. *She kisses his cheek* Especially like this.

*he smiles more at the kiss, even with everything going on* I could be better.

*She huffs a laugh before kissing him again* You have things to do. I've stolen you for enough time.

*he leans back to kiss her- stopping just before his lips can touch hers* Knowing my mom she cancelled everything on my schedule and said I'm in a meeting that will be going on indefinitely. *then he kisses her*

*She kisses him back and presses closer, not pulling away this time because you did this anna*

*his hands travel back up to her bra and he snaps the band again- not hard or soft but just to tease her and I contemplate my life choices like it's 2 am and I've just dropped my burrito on the floor*

*She pulls away when he snaps her bra, still smiling* You're such a tease.

*he snaps it again and gives her a little smirk* You want me to stop?

Stop teasing? *She raises her eyebrows and matches that smirk, leaning in real close* Yeah, you should. 

*he leans closer and whispers in her ear in that low tone that is going to just ruin any shred of hope we had for them stopping* Yes, ma'am. *then he unhooks the band- brb gotta go out back and dig my grave because I am going to die of mortification*

*She fucking moans into his ear before going to his neck again because they're really doing this. With one hand, completely distracted, she takes one of the straps off her shoulder*

*he tips his head back to give her better access to his neck and he groans- while i sob because the monsters we created- and he holds her to him. Then he pulls back to look at her and gently pulls the other strap*

*She keeps her gaze on his eyes, breaths heavy, and slips off her bra, throat bobbing while I fucking scream congrats arin*

*he sucks in a breath- while i climb into the hole I have dug for myself because he's probably looking and now Arin and I have BOTH see Jen's boobs- there's a mesmerized look on his face more for the moment with her than boobs because his heart is pounding and she's Bee and she's in his arms*

*She's definitely blushing at this point and avoids his gaze as she tosses the bra onto the floor, but she then looks at his face, a small smile on her face. It’s not the first time she’s been seen like this, but she doesn’t think she’s had this reaction before. It made her even more flustered than the first time somehow, just because of the look in his eyes* Are you just going to stare?

*he shakes his head slowly and leans towards her to kiss her cheek and he murmurs* I'm going to do more than stare but just give me a moment?

*She smiles even more and trails her hands from his shoulders down to the band of his boxers, not to do anything except rest there* Guess we're equal now.

*he bites at his lip, still smiling* You know how I feel about equality. *he leans towards her and presses a kiss to her cheek*

*She squeezes his hips* We should do this more often then.

*he pulls back to look at her then gives her a little smirk* Didn't anyone ever tell not to count your chickens before they hatch?

*She huffs a laugh and leans closer* What if I like my chances?

*he chuckles* Then I'd say you must think very highly of me.

*She kisses his cheek and reaches up to brush over his hair* I do. *She doubts he’ll be bad, though she understands the nervousness still with how long it’s been for him. Even if he is, the sex isn’t the part that really matters to her, and she is more than willing to try again.*

*he tilts his head to kiss her again while he runs his hands along her back, still wanting but happy to take it slow*

*She kisses him back happily, pressing her chest against his as she leans into his touch, wanting but also happy to be with him*

*he groans as he deepens the kiss, more aware that this is really it and as long as they aren't interrupted he knows how this will end- or how he wants it to at least. His hand goes to her lower back and he presses as if that's going to make it so she's closer*

*She groans into this kiss, kissing him back for as long as she can manage before pulling away to breathe, still smiling as she glances down to the floor where their clothes are and then at the couch before going back to him* Still not a bed.

*he follows her gaze and the comment she makes causes him to do his best (and fail) at biting back a smirk* Actually, it's a pull out couch. If that counts for anything.

*Her look of surprise is evident and she glances down at the couch as if admonishing it before looking at him* So I slept crammed against you on a tiny couch for no reason?

*he sucks in a breath, giving her a guilty look, then he murmurs* Let me make it up to you?

*She smiles and leans forward to kiss him very briefly* I guess it's the universe finally being on our side.

Maybe it is. After everything. *he leans down to kiss her neck- bringing up a hand to hold the other side of her neck*

*She keeps smiling despite what he's doing, bringing up a hand to his hair as she cranes her neck* Maybe this is just how it was supposed to work out.

*he kisses at her neck more then pulls away and gives her a bit of a devious grin- ready to take it to a different place* I sort of miss your bra. It’s fun to snap it.

*She glances down and pulls away even more, smirking because she feels she might knows the answer* I can put it back on if you want.

*he pretends to really think it over then he shakes his head* I think that would be too much of an inconvenience. Especially since... *his eyes go to where she tossed the bra on the floor* it’s all the way over there and we’re right here. He leans in to kiss her for emphasis*

*She laughs before he kisses her but leans into it for just a few moments then pulls away, smiling* Are you sure? *She shifts like she's going to get off him* It'll only take a second.

*even though he know it's a game he stops her by wrapping his arms around her waist* I'm very sure. Well maybe... *he pauses and glances down then back to her* Nope. I'm certain.

*She hums as her hands go to his hair* We do really need to get up.

*he raises his eyebrows because in his head he’s like oh okay... guess we aren’t doing this but then he nods* Of course, if you want to. I um... can walk you back to your room... only if you want me to though.

*She's confused for a moment because she doesn't get why he's saying that, but then realizing, she leans in to kiss him* I just want a bed. Less of a chance to fall off. *She tilts her head, smiling* Can you manage that?

*he grimaces, feeling stupid* Oh, I see...*he glances down at the couch then back to her* I don’t think it has sheets... but we can make it work.

*She smiles and leans in to kiss him again* I'll have to steal a set sometime, but I can cope. *She grabs the blanket from next to them before getting off him to stand*

*he takes a moment just to watch her before he stands up as well. He turns to the couch like he’s going to pull it out but then he walks a few steps away* We probably should open up a window...

*She laughs as she thinks back to what Mel said* Smell too much like desperation for you? *She begins gathering up their clothes from the floor in front of the couch, making sure to grab her drawing as well, looking down at it for a moment before continuing to grab their clothes to move it out of the way*

*he feigns annoyance and shakes his head* No. It’s the paint actually. *he goes over to the window and opens it enough so that some air will circulate. Then he turns back and walks over to the couch*

*She laughs and begins folding up their clothes even tho tbh there's probably no point at this point* Probably a good idea. Who knows how many brain cells we've lost spending all this time up here. *She sets their folded clothes on the side of the couch and gingerly sets her drawing next to the stack*

*he just shakes his head in amusement as he goes over to start pulling out the cushions so he can get the bed out. When he seems pleased enough with his work he turns back to her as says* Happier now?

*She smiles and crawls onto the mattress. She doesn't fully lie down, but all of her body is on the bed as she just waits for him. So, so close.* Not happy til you're here.

*he walks over towards her and sits down beside her* What about now?

*She lies down fully and props herself up very similarly to a certain scene in titanic and considers him* A little better.

*he smiles at the way she lays back and goes to lay on his side next her* How's this?

*She looks him up and down and reaches to run a hand down his chest, smiling* Mm, better.

Only better? *he just lets her touch his chest but doesn't touch her back yet* Is there any way I can make this the best?

*She scoots closer and runs her hand back up to his hair, her eyes glued to his* I need you to kiss me and do exactly what you were about to do before your mom came in.

*he smirks a little, having caught onto a certain something she likes him to say* Yes ma'am. *then he scoots in closer and leans down to kiss her, running his hands over her chest while i CRINGE at typing that*

*She gives a small moan at the name and touch and closes her eyes as she kisses him back, shifting until she's pressed into him. When he touches her chest, she pulls away, smiling* Is that all you meant when you said you'd do more than stare?

No, but I have to start somewhere. *he lowers his mouth to hers, being very gentle just because he wants to and he knows that it might frustrate her*

*She gives a whimper of displeasure at that because she just wants more, but she kisses him, trying to deepen the kiss because like Mel said, it smells like desperation ladies*

*he pulls back from her with a grin because she reacted the way he thought the would and he stares down at her*

*She glares up at him when he pulls away* Tease.

*his eyes flash with amusement* I like the way you squirm when you want more. It's cute.

*She narrows her eyes, leaning closer because she wants to make him pay, but they’ve also waited long enough and the universe seems to finally be on their side* You know what else you’ll like?

*he shakes his head* What would that be?

*She lowers her voice, a hint of a smirk on her lips* The way I'll moan your name when you touch me.

*he reaches out to run his fingers along the spots on her neck where the little purple marks will be forming- kind of just pleased with his work* And exactly how would I get you to do that?

*She lets out a little noise of pleasure when he touches her neck* I think you know exactly what you need to do.

*he leans in again without another word and kisses her while his hand slowly goes from her chest downward as me thinks this is IT*

~~~~~

*So they have sex oh my god finally sorry we can't britzel all the way so imagine what you like happened there. They would've cooled down a little, and Jen slipped on her hoodie and underwear imma say and she's laying on the bed with him, definitely under the blanket*

*he's back in his underwear now, snuggled under the covers beneath her all tired and happy, just content to be close to her- maybe holding her hand*

*She can’t recall ever feeling quite this nice after sex, and maybe it’s the dopamine, but she’s warm and fuzzy and tired, and even after the nicest times with Ian, she’d never felt like this. Arin never rushed, even when he had so many other things to do, so many other people to see. His touch now is still unhurried, and Jen just allows herself to relax into the warmth of him against her, wishing she never had to leave and come back down to earth.*

*At some point, she shifts to face him, setting her chin on his shoulder, and her smile is sweet as she looks up at him. He looks like such a mess, but he’s never looked quite as lovely as he does right now.* Hey there.

Hi. *he murmurs, he reaches up to gently stroke her cheek, and she reaches up and brushes her hand over his hair* 

You're pretty. * _So pretty._ *

*he closes his eyes, still smiling* You're wonderful.

*She smiles a little wider and presses a kiss to his shoulder, moving her hand to rest on his stomach and the side of her head to rest on his shoulder* I like you. * _I love you,_ she would rather say, but he already said he couldn’t say it back yet. She’s holding out hope for a _yet._ *

*he places his hand over hers and rubs it gently* I like you too. *he presses a kiss to the top of her head*

*She doesn't respond right away but flips her palm to face up, entwining her fingers with his. For a bit, she just lies there like that, but then she looks up at him* Arin?

*that worries him for some reason and his hand briefly stops rubbing hers as he murmurs* Yeah?

*She presses her lips together and stares up at him almost sheepishly* I haven't peed in like eight hours. *She’d snuck out at some point during the night with some help with directions, but it hwas still far too long, especially with the area in question*

*that takes him out of the soft and sleepy mood and he pulls back to look at her* Why didn't you say anything? 

*She just shrugs* Had other things on my mind, but... *She sits up and stretches out her arms* Probably a good idea to do that now.

*he nods and sits up with her. He pushes back the blanket* I can come with you if you want.

*She smiles and leans in to kiss his cheek* I think I can manage. Just tell me where again, and I'll come back.

*he pauses for a moment to think then says* If you take a left once you get into the hall it's going to be the first door in the hall you pass. 

*It was one of the guest suites, he’d told her, and she wastes no time before she nods once and presses one last kiss to his cheek. She gets out of bed then and goes over to the clothing she'd folded. She grabs her shorts and slips them on. As she buttons them, she looks at him* On a scale of 1 to 10, how unpresentable do I look?

*bri would probably say 17 but he don't know bri and he is not bri so he looks her over with a smile and says* Zero.

*She narrows her eyes but smiles as she finishes with the button* Very convincing.

*he shrugs* I try. But if you want I can try to convince you some more when you get back.

*She rolls her eyes but smiles and reaches up to fix her hair as best she can before heading out. She takes her sweet time, definitely checking the halls for anyone who could see her, but with the area they’re in, there are very few hazards. She takes her time in the bathroom too, taking a few moments to just stare at herself in the mirror like something’s changed.*

*In a way, it has. She and Arin had sex. They had blissful, sweet sex just like she’d been wanting for so long, and as she stares at herself, she can see the vague, red outlines of hickeys on her neck, a reminder of what they’d done that would stay with her for a little while longer.*

*Somewhere inside, she can’t believe it because it almost feels like a dream, and she’ll wake up again on that couch holding him or maybe in her bed alone, still having to watch him struggle as he kept his distance from all of them, but it isn’t. She presses a hand to her cheek but can’t help but smile at her reflection.*

*She’s happy. She’s usually happy with him, but it’s nice to think after everything that’s happened—Ian, the Great Hall, Arin’s mother—she can still look in the mirror and see that she’s okay. She’s happy.*

*She comes back probably like 7-10 minutes later carrying a container under her arm, shutting the door with her foot as she looks at Arin with raised eyebrows, obviously amused* It seems we were left with gifts. *She walks over and sets it on the bed*

*he was laying back in bed, quite possibly drifting off when he hears her come back and he sits up. He's confused at first then sucks in a breath* If that came from who I know it's from I'm worried about what's in there.

*She immediately looks inside, a little morbidly curious, but the first thing she sees make her laugh out loud* I wouldn't be so sure. *She pulls out the bag of cheetos and shakes them a little as she looks at Arin for a reaction*

*he actually laughs at that and reaches from the bag* So... We're one for one so far.

*She looks again in the container and pulls out the box of condoms and also shakes them before tossing them to him* Two for two.

*he groans at that* I'm going to disagree and say we're one for two. I'm not sure that was a necessary addition.

I think it was a very necessary addition. *She looks back inside the container and lifts up the scotch* That's for you, I assume. *She looks back in the container, kinda ignoring the bottle for reasons*

*he watches as she puts it back, which makes him raise his eyebrows because hello? they were about to be two for three* No to the scotch?

*She stares at it for a moment before lifting it up and giving it to him as well, but her eyes stay on the container, immediately going back to looking* You can. None for me.

*he doesn't take it because he can almost tell what she's thinking* Is there anything else?

*She sets the bottle back inside and pulls out the clothing, a little more relaxed* No more walk of shame, I guess. *She furrows her eyes a little as separates them into his and hers. She hands him his and immediately looks at hers* Oh my God.

*he takes his set of clothes with a chuckle then looks up in surprise when she sees her clothes* What's wrong?

*She pulls out her underwear from between the stack with her mouth agape, eyes going to Arin* I'm not sure if I want to imagine your mom going through my underwear drawer or asking my maids to give her them because I'm not sure which reality I want to live in.

Knowing her it could have been either. *he tries to hold back a smirk but fails* They're cute though.

*She narrows her eyes at him for a moment before putting them back in the stack and tossing the pile toward the other clothes* I'll be sure to get some less cute ones for you.

*he tilts his head to the side in confusion* Why less cute?

*She meets his gaze, a small smirk on her face* Because I'd want ones you'd want to take off more.

Remember my thoughts on equality? *his own smirk grows* I don't discriminate when it comes to underwear.

Good to know. *She's still smirking when she pulls out the water bottles and immediately gives him one before opening her own* Thank God. *She takes a long,,, drink because she also hasn't had water for 12 hours either*

*he takes the water bottle and quickly downs about half of the water before he expectantly looks back at her- ready for whatever other awful things mel could have put in there*

*When she finally looks back down, she doesn't know what the fabric is, but the moment she does, she gasps* Oh my God, get up. *She moves the container off the bed and onto the floor, reaching in*

*he looks at her in total confusion and doesn't move* Why am I getting up? 

*She swats her hand in his general direction, not even close to him, and then reaches in to pull out the sheets* Help me put these on.

*he groans as he gets up but nonetheless he's up and he goes to stand by her. He reaches for the sheets while saying in an amused tone* You seem to like it when I help you.

*She takes one edge of the sheets and reaches to pull off whatever was on the bed and drop it to the floor for a moment before starting to tuck the sheets into wherever they need to go* Very much. *She doesn't even glance at him as she works* I'd love to help you too.

*he only grins like an idiot at that comment while he helps by pulling the sheet over the corners of half the bed before he turns to her* What now... ma'am?

*She only looks at him and without missing a beat says* Get on the bed.

*he doesn't hesitate as he sits down on the edge of the mattress and looks up at her* What now?

*She grins and walks over to him, bending over him just a little, which would force him to look up higher, and she can’t help but like the position* Tell me what you want, baby.

*he tilts his head back to look up at her while i really just wonder how we got here again so quick- ha wait the german federation and jen. it's the freaking Autobahn with these nuts* I want you to kiss me.

*She smirks a little and leans down to almost kiss him but stops before she can make it there* Go lie down.

*this ordering around surprises him somewhat (in a pleasant way)- especially when she doesn't kiss him. He scoots back on the bed and lays down, trying to keep his head lifted enough to still see her*

*She takes a moment to admire him in that position before she picks up the cheetos from the floor and tosses it to the corner of the bed* For later. *Then she picks up the box of condoms and tosses them to the other corner, looking back at him and finally starting over to him* Also for later.

*he props himself on his elbows to see her better* And what's for now?

*She unbuttons her shorts and slides them off before climbing onto him, placing her hands on either side of his head* Now I'm going to kiss you and you're going to tell me just how much you like it.

*he chuckles as he leans back against the mattress and his hands go to her hips* I like this plan already.

*She leans forward and brushes her lips against his, voice lowering into a low murmur that's still slightly forceful* How much?

*he thinks this over for a moment because i dont know how much he likes it. like more than a burrito but less than idk what,,,,,,* Enough that I'm thinking that that box won't be for later. *disregarding whatever little kinky thing they have going on atm he leans up and kisses her even if she didn't tell him to*

*She kisses him back, not paying attention the fact that he did it without permission because she isn't THAT kinky, definitely thinking they were two for two on that box*

*Okay so Jesus christ it's early evening and they're still in bed and I'm gonna say at this point she's not wearing clothes, just under that blanket because who would at this point. Honestly she probably would be dozing because they are doing entirely too much and she is TIRED. Hopefully they had more than two water bottles in that container, but honestly they should get some other kind of sustenance*

*everyone is just naked and tired and Arin would love to do nothing more than sleep. But he knows they really do need to leave at some point for real food and the fact that people really are going to start coming to find them and he’s sure that people are concerned. He leans over and gives her a kiss on the cheek, trying to keep her awake* We should probably go before people really start to worry. *his words are soft and tired and only half sincere because he’d be happy enough to never leave and go back to the mess his life has become*

*She probably is pressed into him how she usually sleeps with her arm thrown over his torso and head on his shoulder. She gives him a little squeeze and a tiny nod but so tired that she does nothing else but that. It’s just so easy to disregard the fact that he’s definitely stayed far longer than he should, and she just allows her mind to drift off for the most part, though she’s not quite asleep when he shifts against her.*

*he pulls her a little closer to him and gently rubs at her back. Trying to rouse her* Bee...

*She stirs a little bit and looks up at him* Hm? Yeah, sorry. I'm awake. *She still makes no motion to get up* Tired.

*he gives her a little smile because he knows why she’s tired* Me too. *he presses another kiss to her cheek* But we have to leave this room at some point.

*She closes her eyes but her hand on his torso starts drawing circles into his stomach underneath the blanket. He’d called her handsy once, and she had to agree with that assessment now because all she wants is to keep touching him* Wish we could stay.

I know. *he pulls away from her as an apprehensive feeling sets in because he knows he has to go back out and the attic feels safe.*

*She whines and tightens her grip on him, still not opening her eyes* One more minute.

*that makes him smile a little because he thinks back to the ball- even if it didn’t end the same way because of Idalia. He wraps his arms around her waist, movement in closer* One more minute.

*She smiles a little at that and begins to count internally, thinking about how safe she feels and how she wouldn't mind doing this every night and every morning. Making him late for meetings, rushing to get dressed like she always does but even worse. It was a nice thought to cling to while she laid there in his arms. Again, once it nears the 50s, she begins to count out loud, and when it hits 60, she loosens her grip, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. _I love you,_ she wishes she could say again, but she doesn’t. Instead, she waits for him to move and break this fantasy, still tired but accepting*

*he kisses the top of her head then pulls away with a groan. He slips out from beneath the covers and rolls out of the bed to go find his clothes then he turns to her for a moment just to take in the sight*

*She just watches him with a sleepy smile for a moment, eyes raking over him as she just lays there* Will you toss me my clothes?

Yes ma’am. *he’s still smiling when he nods and turns away to go to the bin and gather up the clean clothes. He brings it over to the bed and pulls out his set and lays them on the bed. Then he pulls out the sweater that was packed for her and lightly tosses it at her*

Now you're just saying that to tease me. *She catches the sweater he tosses at her and slips it over her head, not even bothering with the bra because she doesn’t want to focus on the clasps when she’ll take it off the moment she gets back to her room.*

Maybe I am. *he tosses the legging towards her next, still amused by what he knows he’s doing*

*She grabs the leggings and stares down at them for a second* I need underwear.

*that only makes him smirk as he pulls out a pair of underwear and holds them up then innocently says* These?

*She narrows her eyes at him* No. Other pair.

*he’s still smirking* The lacy ones or the ones with the little bow?

*She leans back a little, eyebrows raised like /really?/* The lace

*he nods* An excellent choice. *he reaches into the bin and pulls them out, dangling them off of his finger* A wonderful choice.

*She holds out a hand for them* I'm glad you approve.

*he skirts around the edge of the bed and kneels in the mattress, leaning in as he holds them out to her- still very amused*

*She drops her hand and because he's being sassy, she smirks* Why don't you put them on me since you seem so eager?

*he raises his eyebrows because what a game this is* I’m much better at taking them off but I can give it a shot.

*She slips her legs out from under the blanket and extends them out for him, lying back and propping herself on her elbows and looking up at him like your move*

*he scoots closer and reaches down to lift her ankle so he can slip her foot through the first hole.*

*She simply watches him, smirking* Are you sure we have to go back?

*he reaches for the other ankle and slips it through the second hole then his eyes meet hers* Yes... *he doesn’t sound as sure*

*She taps her foot against his arm* That's too bad. *She smirks, looking up at the ceiling* Though, I'm not sure I could go again.

*that earns her another grin* That means I did a good job. *he slides the underwear up towards her knees*

*She huffs a laugh* You did a great job.

How many stars would you give me on Yowl? *he pulls the underwear up higher*

*She rolls her eyes because of course they're doing this* I'll have to think about it. Can't rush into five stars.

I don’t think four times counts as rushing. *he stops and looks at her expectantly* Help?

*She smirks but lifts up her hips for him to pull up the underwear* Was it really four?

*he finishes pulling up at underwear and looks at her with a flicker of amusement* It’s possible I lost count.

*She sits up once her underwear is on, scooting closer to him and leaning closer* Do I need to refresh your memory?

*he doesn’t reply before her leans in to kiss her, bringing his hands up to her face*

*She kisses him back, shifting onto her knees to prop herself as her hands go to his neck which tbh is probably even more marked up*

*one hand goes lower to her hip and he hooks his finger through the leg hole and snaps the band*

*She pulls away then with narrowed eyes* I see you've evolved from my bra.

I can always stop evolving. *he says, raising his eyebrows*

*She smirks and leans in close again* I think you're good right where you are.

Position wise or evolution wise? *his smirk grows* I think both could be better.

Better for something, but if we want to appear in the world anytime soon, then right here is very good. *She pulls away then and grabs her leggings, only sparing him a glance* You should get dressed.

*he groans in frustration and defeatedly goes to climb off the bed but he keeps his eyes on her* Maybe they’ve already forgotten about us. *he rummages around the bin for his own underwear*

*She pulls on her leggings and lies back down, brushing her hand over the sheets. Exhaustion seeps into her bones, but it’s muddled with the constant thrum of happiness in her chest that she can’t ignore. If she closes her eyes, she can almost try and relive the feeling of his touch, the press of his lips against hers. It’s a murky feeling, nice to imagine but doesn’t compare.*

*he pulls on his own underwear then goes for his pants. Once he’s slipped them on he walks back over to the bed with his shirt on but unbuttoned and he looks down at her with a smile because tHoUgHtS*

*She doesn't open her eyes for a long moment, but noticing the lack of rustling, she opens them and meets his gaze with a smile, enjoying his gaze because there’s just something about it that feels nice.* What?

Nothing. *he lies, looking her over* Help? *he looks down at the buttons*

*He's not a good liar, but she doesn't press, just crawls off the bed and goes to start working on his buttons* I would've thought by now you'd know how to do this by yourself.

I know how to do it- I just wasn’t sure if you could. I’ve only ever seen you undo buttons. *he smiles down at her*

*She smirks as she shakes her head, eyes still on the buttons, making her way up to the top. Something about it feels so domestic that she has to force the thought from her mind.* I can do both, but I'd say I'm better at undoing them.

*his eyes meet hers and he nods* The best.

*She smiles at the ridiculousness of their flirting at this point but doesn't comment on it. She finishes up the buttons almost all the way but leaves an extra button than he normally wears open, pressing her thumb into a visible hickey on his chest* Still is a good look for you.

*he sucks in a breath and just shakes his head because this girl* Are you saying I should leave it like that?

*She reaches an arm up to wrap around his neck, still smirking* As much as I would love it, it seems rather inappropriate in your position. *She brushes a hand over the other marks on his neck* I hope you own concealer because you may need some.

*his breath catches when she touches a different spot and he shakes his head* I don’t have concealer.

*That lowkey pleases her, and she smirks, pressing a little closer to him* Guess you'll have to wear them for everyone to see.

You seem very upset about that. *he raises his eyebrows at her, wrapping his arms around her waist*

Very. *She raises herself up on her toes to press a kiss to his neck* Do you know what time it is?

*he shakes his head, happily closing his eyes as she kisses him* Not a clue.

*She pulls back and settles flat on her feet* I guess we can pretend the world paused for a second.

*he pulls away with a sigh as the sadness begins to set in again, and she wishes she can take it all away at once* I wish we could pause it forever.

*She nods understandingly and simply takes his hand* Me too. *She's silent for a moment as she takes in the room. The sight of the paint and the wall and the rumpled sheets and their folded clothes and blankets strewn about makes her smile because it's a room so decidedly theirs. She’s always going to look at this place and think of what they shared here. Still, she knows it’s not forever, and even if she doesn’t want to let him go, she has to. No matter how much she hates it.* There are some good things down there, though. *Her smile is playful* Like food.

*he gives her a soft laugh because he knows she's trying to make him feel better and he squeezes her hand* Is that your way of telling me you don't consider Cheetos food?

*She smiles* Not exactly the type I'm needing, and they sure went pretty fast. *She raises her eyebrows at him because they both know which of them ate the most out of that bag*

*he nods* You're right. We should go. *he looks towards the door and there's a clear hesitation*

*Seeing the hesitation, she frowns and takes a step toward him* This was... *She trails off, not really sure what to say. She squeezes his hand with a smile* I had a really nice time with you. *She wishes she could tell him just how much, but somehow she feels like that’s not what he needs to hear*

*he doesn't say anything- only nodding slowly before her takes a deep breath and steps away*

*She frowns a little but understands because she really doesn't wanna leave either. She keeps her grip on him, not quite wanting to let him go* Will you wait a second?

*he nods and says softly* A minute? *he looks down at their hands, sad but comforted*

*She gives a small smile and steps forward at the reference, wrapping her arm around his waist, holding him to her because she hasn't forgotten about how he looked last night, even after everything* I know it's hard, but... try not to think so much. * _Practice what you preach, Jen._ *

*he holds her back, starting to count in his head while he takes deep breaths. He does his best to focus on only her*

*Her hands start rubbing his back, head pressed against his chest as she considers what to say* I said it once already, but you're going to do good. *She gives him a small squeeze of reassurance because she knows he needs it and won’t get it nearly as much as he should.* And things won't hurt as much one day.

*he nods and whispers* I know. *he strokes her hair, wishing a minute was longer than 60 seconds but he knows they've already had so many*

*She squeezes him again, really happy that he said that because it's at least an improvement from what he was like last night* I'm really glad you're here.

*he sways a little as he holds her, closing his eyes* I'm happy to be here with you.

*She closes her eyes as well, shifting her head and giving the smallest hint of a smile because she agrees. Before, it was a space for them, but now more than ever, the attic felt like just theirs.* I'm going to miss it here, but I wouldn't mind doing this again.

*he laughs softly* Yeah, getting a full night of sleep can be really nice. I forgot how much I like doing that. *he reaches up to cup her cheek*

*She looks up at him and actually smiles then* I like it when you laugh. *She loves it when he’s happy, when he looks less like he’s carrying the world on his shoulders, even though now… he is more than ever.*

*he blinks in surprise* Do you? I like the way you smile. *he strokes her cheek with his thumb*

*She keeps smiling because why wouldn't she after that, but she flushes a bit* Yours isn't so bad either. *She reaches up and brushes a hand over his hair, struck again by how she’d almost lost this, how she almost had to face the reality that Arin Schreave was gone, and she never got to tell him she loved him. It was enough to pull her back into emotions she didn’t want, so she stopped letting herself consider the possibility. He’s here now, and she’ll treasure that much* You're still a mess though.

*he takes a deep breath* I'm not sure anything is going to be able to fix that except for a shower.

*With a smile, she reaches up and spreads out the collar of his shirt just to see his neck better* I think you might be right. And even then...

*he looks down at where she has her hands and smiles more* Even then...?

Even then it's debatable. *She finally buttons up the button so his shirt looks normal now* But it's a start. I think I'll have to go back to sleep again.

*he chuckles* We can debate later. *he looks to the door again and then back to her, nervousness setting in*

*Noticing his nervousness, he reaches her hands up to his face and brushes her thumbs over his cheeks* Kiss me again?

*he nods* Always. *he leans down and gently presses his lips to hers*

*She kisses him back gently, not doing anything but wanting to show him she's there. After a few long moments, she pulls away* Let's not undo all our progress. *She glances down to his shirt with a smile*

*he nods but then says halfheartedly* Would it be the worst thing in the world if we did?

*She keeps smiling and reaches down to tug on his belt loops* On the contrary, but I can't promise I wouldn't pass out. I think I'll sleep through the night again.

*he groans but knows she's right* I think I'll be up all night. But I think it was worth it.

*That makes her smirk because she agrees* Was it worth it?

*he bites back a smirk* You certainly made it sound like you thought so.

*She huffs out a laugh* Very worth it. All four or however many times.

Four for Four. *he looks at her in amusement*

*She (and i) fucking snort into laughter, and it takes her a few seconds to compose herself, shaking her head because she's not going to acknowledge that* Some more water next time would be appreciated. *She narrows her eyes, teasing* Your mom might be the MVP here.

You really like to bring her up to kill the mood. *he shakes his head in disbelief* I think those paint fumes have finally gotten to you.

*She laughs again and glances over to their wall* Opening the window was also a wonderful suggestion by your mother.

*he groans at that* Please no... Let's not talk about her right now.

*She smiles at the reaction and takes his hand* Fine, no more mom talk. *She takes another look at the room fondly* Are we cleaning up or leaving it?

*he looks from their hands to the bed then back to her* I say we leave it. I think it's perfect just like this. *normally he'd have said clean but there's just something about the wrinkles in the sheets and the way everything is strewn about that feels right to him*

*She smiles and looks back at him, squeezing his hand* I agree. It'll be right here when we come back.

*he just watches the way she looks at him and he squeezes her hand because that's all he can think to do*

*After a second of just relishing in the moment, she returns the squeeze, inclining her head to the door* Search parties, remember?

*he doesn't want to go but he knows they have to so he takes a deep breath and says* Okay. Let's go.

Okay. *She takes a step toward the door but stops and waits for him, still holding his hand*

*he's still a little hesitant but he follows her towards the door, taking a final look around the attic*

*She also takes one last look at the attic, smiling softly because whew some memories were made here for sure, but then she turns the knob and finally opens the door so that they can leave*

*he grips her hand more tightly because this is really the end and it's back out into the real world for them both. but he doesn't say anything as he lets her lead the way*

*She frowns as she leads them down the stairs, a little sad that they have to go even though it had to happen. She swallows when they arrive at the bottom door, but opens it nonetheless, squinting a bit at the definitely brighter lights when they walk through*

*he follows her out and once they’re in the hall he has a moment of panic and being Arin he just acts in an Arin way and quickly pulls her to him to kiss her as he tries to cling to the memories of the attic*

*She makes a noise of surprise when he kisses her, totally not expecting that at all, but she kisses him back because she's not gonna complain*

*he deepens the kiss while he lets go of her hands so he can cup her face, beyond desperate at this point because the clock is about to chime midnight and he knows it*

*She takes a step back but doesn't break the kiss, but the action causes the door to shut and her back press against it, still kissing him, aware of where they are, but her brain is suddenly all too focused on this*

*he presses her into it harder while his hands go lower and slip beneath the sweater as they go to her lower back. He also knows where they are and normally he would care to but it seems all reason has gone out the window- all around sigh*

*She also very much knows where they are, but she pulls him closer by the waist, kissing him back fervently while letting her hand slip under his shirt*

*he reaches up higher, as he feels for the band of her bra only to be surprised to find it missing, which cause him to moan into the kiss because he finds that to be very unfair*

*She feels him prodding around under her sweater, which just makes her moan into the kiss and move her hands to his ass to pull him closer*

*when she grabs him he pulls his hand back to her front and it goes over her chest with much more familiarity than the previous honking night*

*She moans into the kiss when he touches her, suddenly not at all tired or paying attention to the fact they're in the fucking third floor hall and he's literally feeling her up*

*that only makes it worse and despite the fact he’s the freaking king Arin reaches with the hand not on her chest down to her leggings, hooking his thumb on the band*

*She's not even thinking when she reaches round and unbuttons his pants because my lord 💀*

*he moans at that because oh god casket really do be a possibility ⚰️ and he leans in closer to her while his hand on her leggings closes into a fist*

*She really unzips his pants a bitch really is trying it today and it's not like he's stopping*

*that elicits a gasp from him because here we go. He breaks the kiss to press his lips to her neck because it’s hickey round 1748942722*

*She closes her eyes and gasps out his name, whimpering a little at the feeling of him on her neck because she remembers how this went last time,,,,*

*because I too remember how it went imma just go scream into my pillow brb- k I’m back. Fuck. They’re still at it. Sigh.,,,,,,, her whimper only make his kisses become more desperate as he reaches up with the hand beneath her sweater to the other side of her neck*

*Whispers* Fuck. Please. *Whilst I fucking yell at 5:30am, she pulls the front of his pants down just slightly, very obvious about what she wants and oh my lord sorry kevin and God*

*while i try to remember who the hell let me be the prince and thought it was a good idea because IT WAS CLEARLY NOT A GOOD IDEA Arin moans and sucks at her neck before he pulls back and kisses her again, pressing her into the door with his body, while his hand goes back to her chest and the other is still gripping her leggings because for some god damn reason they’re now into exhibitionism or some shit*

*She moans again, opening her eyes and suddenly realizing where they are and at that she looks back down at him and then to the door behind her* Arin, we--we left the window open. *Her words are shaky and so are her hands as they reach for knob of the door* Maybe we should close it.

*he suddenly comes to his senses and realizes where they are. He’s gasping as he steps away for a second, pulling his hand out from beneath her sweater, then reaches for the knob to open the door. All he can say in a low tone is* Go.

*me resisting the urge to say yes sir. Instead, she fucking BOLTS up the stairs and what do you know round 5 here we go. AND FINALLY THEY GET DOWN THE STAIRS AGAIN and she looks even worse for wear, even her sweater more wrinkled and honestly she might pass out any second. Hair questionable, and she's leaning on him more than usual. Did they even close the window?? Idk*

*that’s it I am done they are cancelled. He’s gonna walk her back to her room or just go straight to his and cease to exist because I can’t take it anymore and I hate them. So bad. Goddddddd. Arin is tired and exhausted and needs a shower alone. He leads her down the hall, holding her hand*

*Literally all she can do is let him lead her down the hall because of how tired she is, not caring where they're going because my lord what is even going on.*

*he gives his bedroom a longing look- because oh boy does sleep seem nice but he has things to do. But then he passes it and leads her towards the stairs because for the love of god they need to wrap up this rodeo*

*She also glances at his bedroom but god knows what'll happen with that and she really wants a shower and to sleep but mostly sleep. She leans her head on his arm as they walk, her eyes only half open now because she trusts him to lead, but she also decides right then and there that next time they do it five times, she wants an actual bedroom.*

*that makes him smile a little and he leans his head on top of hers* Tired? *he starts to walk them down the stairs*

*She gives a little nod, sighing through her noise because he really did this to her* Want to sleep.

*he kisses the top of her head* We’re almost to your room.

*She makes a little noise of acknowledgement* People will see us.

*he swallows hard because oh boy that makes him nervous but he decides to play it cool* Does that bother you?

*She shakes her head against his arm* Doesn't bother me. *She groans a little* Idalia is going to have questions. *Hopefully none she’ll have to answer in too much vivid detail. It was already a lot to know your best friend was gone for the entire day having sex, which she knows she’ll have to spill. There’s also the fact she hadn’t brought her phone, so any worried text messages would not be received until she got back.*

*he let’s out a nervous laugh because Idalia,;,,, his homie.... but also Wylan,,,,,* Are you going to have answers for her?

*Another small groan. She squeezes his hand (which he should really wash tbh just gonna say it)* Only a few. The rest remains between us.

*i pretend I do not see the hand comment because godddddd nope now I’m imagining. Thanks for that Bertha,,,, I guess they reach the bottom of the stairs idk anymore* Keeping secrets I see. *there’s some amusement in his voice*

*She looks up at him with raised eyebrows, also amused* Or I can spill all the dirty details if you want. I'm sure the other girls would love to know how you sound when you say my name. * _Or how you sound when I do exactly what you want.*_

*he knows exactly what she means- as do I because I can read through the lines- so he stops walking a second VERY amused now and decides to play this dirty because at this point I am out of fucks to give* You want to bring other girls into this? That could be fun.

*She stops in her tracks and looks at him with narrowed eyes, suddenly very awake* You sure you can handle more than one?

You saw how well I did. You don’t think I could? *he raises his eyebrows *

*She steps closer and raises herself up on her toes and oh boy they're on the second floor now bad idea* Maybe I don't want to split your talents up.

*he’s fully aware of where they are but that doesn’t seem to matter all the much to him and he leans closer* Are you saying you want me all to yourself?

* _Yes._ She keeps his gaze and raises up a hand to the back of his neck. Her voice lowers as she looks at him. All to herself. She likes the idea of that more than he knows* What if I am?

*he smirks a little at That because he may be tired after but he likes the sound of that- and I’ve have a mojito and some wine at work and I’m a lightweight* Maybe I like the sound of that. *he leans in a little closer* Just as much as I like the sound of other things.

*Deadass a part of her wants to jump him, but god she is tired, bruised, and probably will be sore tomorrow. Was any of this a good idea? Uhhh you can decide. But she really likes him and she likes him saying that, so she also leans closer and they're on the second floor and anyone could see them looking d i s g u s t i n g but honestly who gives af anymore* What other things? *Let's be real she knows but wants to hear him say it*

*i know that you know that I know what Arin knows what Jen knows she wants him to say and I’m kinda at a loss because boy it would be inappropriate and as I sit in my car thinking it started out with a kiss how did it end up like this.... it was only a kiss.... I’m just sighing. But I can’t bring myself to say it so imma just say Arin leans in and whispers something very dirty and specific to something on the stupid freaking rice score thing and how she reacted to it*

*She really almost stops breathing even though I don't know what he said, but knowing them it was something terrible and I'm so done with them. She pulls back a little to look him in the eye* You really should take me to my room.

I like it when you tell me what to do. *he gets a mischievous look on his face and takes her hand to lead her towards the bedroom because tiredness and soreness, and dehydration be damned here we go again*

*She smiles deviously and follows him, not even looking down the hall because she doesn't care anymore. And god they really need to shower, but she just is tunnel vision sigh I hate them*

*they reach her door and he stops in front for a moment before he lets go of her hand and steps back so he’s leaning against the door, grinning down at her*

*She smirks and reaches up to press against one of the hickeys because dear God there are too many of them* Gotta be quiet for me in here.

*he sucks in a breath and presses further into the door- enjoying this entirely too much* Is that a command? *he presses his palms flat against the wood*

*She raises her eyebrows at that because that's hot and she knows he knows she thinks it is* Yes.

*he too thinks it’s hot- especially at the way she raises her eyebrows. His voice is already becoming lower* Tell me what you want me to do.

*She pulls her bottom lip into her mouth as her eyes rake over him and damn I know he is a mess, but she finds it pleasing. She inclines her head toward the door* Why don't you go in and you can find out?

*he reaches for her, pressing a hand into her back while the other fidgets with the knob. Then before he turns the handle all the way he leans down to kiss her*

*She moves closer and reaches over to the knob to try and fumble to open it, still kissing him in the damn hall*

*he reaches down a little lower with the hand that was on her back while he manages to turn the knob. Then in an instant he’s pulling her into the room and shutting the door behind them- ready to scar some maids*

*She pushes him again the wall immediately, not paying attention to anything in the room except for him and unbuttoning his pants, moaning and giving quite a show to the poor onlookers that are probably just there frozen because holy shit*

*his hand is already beneath her sweater before he's even against the wall- completely unaware anyone else is in the room. When she goes for his pants he moans and reaches up so he can pull the top off*

*She leans into his touch, definitely ready to go again even if lowkey she'd probably fall asleep halfway through. She unzips his pants and tugs on them to pull them down and someone should probably notice them or something or else they're about to give some more staff a show*

*Her pulling at his pants only does him in and he reaches up to do things to her chest while he breaks away for a moment to kiss her neck- and my goodness I hope the maids have averted their eyes*

*She moves her hand to start unbuttoning his shirt making her way up because fuck this they don't need clothes to shower after anyway. You're welcome bri. She moans his name as just wonderful piece of this story. After getting his shirt unbuttoned, they go to his boxers and she's about to do unspeakable things and that's when the maids give up on them stopping*

*June is the one who volunteers as tribute and steps forward* L-Lady Jen.

*And let me tell you Jen lets go of him so fast because this is really something*

*Arin is really just getting so into this because apparently this is a thing with them but thank goodness we are at an end. He moans when her hands go to his boxers because boiiiii he is excited for those unspeakable things but then suddenly she's pulling away and it takes him a moment to register. Then he sees the maids- however horrified they are and he mutters* Fuck. *even in his breathless mortification upon realizing jen is deadass topless he tries to position his body in front of hers*

*She is APPARENTLY TOPLESS and I didn't REALIZE so she covers her arms across her chest as she finally looks at them, suddenly very happy they said something because they were about to see things maids should not see of their employer. From behind Arin, she picks up her sweater and puts it on very quickly before stepping back out in front of him to face her maids* I--We are so sorry.

*he swallows hard and nods* We- we didn't realize anyone was in here. *he's blushing by this point because oh god- and now he wishes he had a pillow to hide behind but he doesn't so all he can do is stand there in total embarrassment*

*She glances behind her shoulder to see him and looks down and then back up with wide eyes. Then she whispers* Your pants.

*I’m screaming he’s screaming the maids are screaming we’re all screaming as arin tries to quickly pull up his pants and tuck everything in but it’s a struggle for many reasons but then he finally manages and he just looks at Jen in wide-eyed horror at their predicament*

*She's blushing out of embarrassment and opens her mouth to say something but is cut off by June* We'll leave you two alone.

*Jen wants to absolutely die from mortification, but she still says* You don't have to--

*They really don't listen to it because they are Done. They, of course, make sure to curtsy to Arin on their way out because even if they saw his boxers he's still the king oops. When they're gone, Jen turns to Arin, still flushed* Can I say that was worse than your mom?

*Arin is just grimacing the entire time because this may be the actual worst moment of his life and he lived through the great hall. He looks at Jen- still in shock and murmurs* At least I had more clothes on this time.

*Jen is also grimacing because oh my god* Let's not... talk about that. *She looks back into the room to see where the maids were standing before turning back to him* Or this. *Seeing him so disheveled makes her give a small smile* From now on, let's make sure we check the rooms first.

*he blows out a breath* I'm not sure I can ever do this again after what just happened... *mostly teasing but also like vghdcghvh hcsvc hccjb*

*She thinks she knows he joking but steps closer, setting her hands on his waist and pouting* Don't do that. *She leans a little closer, a small smirk on her lips* Did you not think we had a good time?

*he groans because A LOT just happened and it really isn't fair of her to tease him. He gives her a pained look*

*She smiles and breathes out a little laugh at his expression* Please don't banish my maids just because they saw your underwear.

*he sucks in a breath, just looking down at her* I think they saw more than just that...

*She spares a glance down before pressing her lips together to repress a smile and looking back up at him* I'm sure they'll live. *She squeezes his waist* Just don't think about it.

*he groans again and murmurs her name* Jen... *he wraps his arms around her waist*

*She hums, still smiling as she looks up at him* What?

*he shakes his head, unsure of what he was thinking about* Nothing. Maybe I just wanted to say your name.

I like it when you say my name. *She raises herself up to press a kiss to his neck*

*he grimaces a little still because THIS IS WHAT GOT THEM INTO TROUBLE IN THE FIRST PLACE but still he can't help himself* How much?

*She presses a little closer, a smirk on her face as she raises herself up even more. Sucks being a short bitch I guess* So, so much.

*that makes his breath catch and he smiles a little* Enough to kiss me?

*She pretends to think about it bc lmao they've done a lot more than kiss now, but she really loves teasing* I think that will be acceptable.

*he chuckles* Only if you're sure.

*She glances to his lips and then back up, still on her toes* I'm about as high as I can go. You'll have to come the rest of the way.

*he leans in more but then doesn't close the distance and says* You need a shower. You're a mess.

*She laughs and reaches up to his hair* So are you.

You're to blame. You know... I keep trying to go about my day but then someone distracts me. *he shakes his heads at the hair touch*

*She trails her hand from his hair to his neck* I think you may want to be distracted, asking me to kiss you and all. We know where that leads.

*he chuckles* Well, maybe I didn't know where it would lead. After all think about all the times I've kissed you and that hasn't happened.

Well... *She looks down at his lips again* Why don't we test to see what happens this time?

*he leans down finally and kisses her, more gently and cautious than before because a man is NeRvOuS*

*She smiles for a second into the kiss but eventually kisses him back, not escalating because the mood kinda left with the maids, so she pulls back after a few moments* Want to shower with me? *A dangerous question, but nothing dissimilar to what they’ve already done. Really, she just wants a reason for him to stay, not let this time between them go quite yet, even if it’s selfish of her*

*his heart rate speeds up and he debates for a moment but then he nods* Why not?

*So they go shower, and we're not gonna talk about what the hell they do in there because I'm sure you can guess, but they didn't have sex because 5 is the perfect number and she would fall asleep if they did it again. When they opened the bathroom door again, she'd be wearing a new hoodie this time with wet hair and probably lowkey loopy again because she needs to s l e e p and e a t*

*I guess arin gotta deadass emerge wearing the same clothes as he trails behind her, looking a lot better than however long ago they went into the bathroom. He looks at her with a fond gaze as he follows her out*

*This Bitch crawls into bed on the right side of the bed and immediately burrows under the comforter, pulling the blanket up to her nose, closing her eyes for a moment as she whines. Then, she just watches him* I'm tired.

*he goes and sits on the edge of the bed beside her and reaches down to stroke her cheek, saying softly* You should sleep.

*She closes her eyes again and takes the now clean hand on her cheek, entwining her fingers with his* I'll miss you. * _I almost lost you once. I don’t want to let you go again._ *

*he laughs a little and shakes his head, leaning forward to kiss her cheek* No you won't you'll be asleep.

*She shakes her head and she's lowkey drifting off* Still miss you. Like sleeping with you.

*that makes him smile even if she can't see and he whispers into her ear* I'll miss you too.

*That also makes her smile, and she keeps a soft grip on his hand* Stay with me till I sleep?

*he kissed beside her ear and nods, saying in a softer voice as he pulls away* I'll stay.

*She takes a breath in, comforted more than he knows be the promise and so out of it at this point and really ready to pass out that she says something she definitely wouldn't have otherwise* Love you. *The words are mumbled out but otherwise audible, and she doesn’t quite realize she says them in that moment, but they’re still meant as much as the last time she’d said them.*

*that makes him smile a little and he murmurs back* I like you too...

*Does she hear him? Who knows because she drifts of quickly after she says what she says, her grip on his hand loosening and breathing evening out and God finally some good rest for her even though she's still dehydrated and has only eaten cheetos in the last like 16 hours*

*he waits a few more minutes before he carefully lets go of her hand and stands up. After one final glance he walks to the door and slips out into the hall- concluding the cursed rp*


End file.
